EU cabotage rules for truck carriers

What counts as cabotage

Cabotage is a domestic transport — pickup and delivery in the same country — carried out by a haulier established in another EU country. A Polish carrier loading in Munich and delivering in Hamburg is doing cabotage in Germany.

International transports (between two countries) are not cabotage, and neither are cross-trades between two other member states.

The limits

• Cabotage may only follow an international transport into the country, once the goods have been delivered.
• Up to three cabotage operations within seven days of that delivery, with the same vehicle.
• Then a cooling-off period of four days in that member state before the same vehicle may do cabotage there again.
• The driver must be able to show evidence of the incoming international transport and of each cabotage operation, on paper or electronically.

Posting of drivers

A driver doing cabotage is treated as posted to that country from the first day (Directive (EU) 2020/1057, applicable since 2 February 2022): the host country’s pay rules apply, and the carrier must file a posting declaration through the EU’s IMI road-transport portal before the work starts.

Who may not do cabotage

• Carriers without a Community licence — including Turkish-registered trucks, which may carry international loads under road permits but not domestic loads inside the EU. Hauliers from the EEA countries Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are treated like EU hauliers.
• UK hauliers operate in the EU under the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement: after a laden trip from the UK they may do up to two further jobs in the EU, of which at most one may be cabotage — in the same EU country where the UK goods were unloaded and within seven days of unloading. Check the current gov.uk guidance before planning.

Planning around cabotage

Under EU drivers’ hours rules a driver may drive 9 hours a day (10 hours twice a week) with a 45-minute break after 4.5 hours, so one driver covers roughly 700–800 km a day. Plan the return leg as an international load where possible: return loads from the delivery country to your home country are not cabotage and are not limited.

• Return loads in Europe
• Route guides

Sources

Checked on 16 October 2026 against the official texts. Rules can change — check the current version before a transport. This is general information, not legal advice.

• Regulation (EC) No 1072/2009, amended by Regulation (EU) 2020/1055 (consolidated text on EUR-Lex) – EUR-Lex: eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2009/1072/oj
• Directive (EU) 2020/1057 (posting of drivers) – EUR-Lex: eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2020/1057/oj
• EFTA: Regulation (EC) No 1072/2009 in the EEA (consolidated): efta.int/sites/default/files/uploads/2026-05/32009R1072-consolidated.pdf
• GOV.UK: International road haulage – jobs inside an EU country or between EU countries: gov.uk/cabotage

Frequently asked questions