GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Jun 8, 2026
cabotage
In freight transport, cabotage occurs when a foreign carrier hauls goods or passengers between two points within the same country – for instance, a German haulier delivering cargo from Lyon to Marseille within France.
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Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabotage_(Verkehr)
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In freight transport, cabotage occurs when a foreign carrier hauls goods or passengers between two points within the same country – for instance, a German haulier delivering cargo from Lyon to Marseille within France. The term originates from maritime coastal shipping and is now tightly regulated in road freight. In the EU, cabotage is typically forbidden for third-country operators or permitted only under strict conditions (maximum transports per week, obligation to return home). For EU carriers operating within the EU, cabotage is liberalized but subject to national authority oversight. Cabotage must be distinguished from transit – transit passes through a country; cabotage operates within it.
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