Regulations & Toll Europe
Toll comparison 9 countries, Sunday driving bans, cabotage rules, transport licences (EU Community Licence / CEMT), minimum wage & posting rules for Eastern European companies, weight limits and green zones – current 2026.
Toll Comparison: 9 Countries (Trucks from 3.5 t)
⚠️ Important new developments 2026: New EU Eurovignette Directive (EU 2022/362) from 25/03/2026 – CO₂ differentiation becomes mandatory in all member states. Netherlands introduces Vrachtwagenheffing for the first time from 01/07/2026; the Eurovignette is simultaneously abolished. Austria with new CO₂ graduated rates from 01/01/2026.
| Country | System | From (GVW) |
|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇭 Schweiz | LSVA | 3,5 t |
| 🇩🇪 Deutschland | LKW-Maut (Toll Collect) | 3,5 t |
| 🇦🇹 Österreich | GO-Maut (ASFINAG) | 3,5 t |
| 🇫🇷 Frankreich | Toll (concession cos) | 3,5 t |
| 🇮🇹 Italien | Telepass / Viacard | 3,5 t |
| 🇪🇸 Spanien | Toll (AP-Autopistas) | 3,5 t |
| 🇵🇱 Polen | e-TOLL | 3,5 t |
| 🇳🇱 Niederlande | Vrachtwagenheffing (NEW from 01.07.2026) | 3,5 t |
| 🇧🇪 Belgien | Viapass (Satellit) | 3,5 t |
* Guidelines 2026 for semi-trailer 40t EURO VI. Current tariffs may differ. No guarantee. NL costs preliminary, official tariffs to follow.
Sunday Driving Bans & Holiday Restrictions
| Country | Driving ban |
|---|---|
| 🇩🇪 Deutschland | Sun 0–22h; Sat from 22h; public holidays 0–22h |
| 🇨🇭 Schweiz | Night driving ban: daily 22–05h; Sunday driving ban: 00–24h (all day) |
| 🇦🇹 Österreich | Sun & public holidays 0–22h; Sat 15–22h (seasonal Jul–Aug, transit routes) |
| 🇫🇷 Frankreich | Seasonal driving bans (summer/holidays) on certain axes |
| 🇪🇸 Spanien | Partly regional; national: 6am–10pm Sun on main axes |
Cabotage Rules in Europe
What is cabotage?
Cabotage = domestic transport in a host country by a foreign transport company. Example: A Polish company delivers within Germany from Hamburg to Munich after an international delivery from Warsaw to Germany.
EU Cabotage Rules (Mobility Package 2020)
- • Max. 3 cabotage operations within 7 days after international delivery
- • Cooldown: 4-day pause after last cabotage operation in the host country
- • Carry: CMR consignment notes for all cabotage operations in the vehicle
- • Fines for violation: up to €7,500 (DE) or depending on country
Switzerland – Cabotage Regulation
- • Cabotage in Switzerland generally prohibited for foreign transport companies
- • Exceptions only with special cabotage permit (very rarely granted)
- • Consequence: return empty runs from Switzerland common – no re-loading right
Transport Licences for Cross-Border Freight
🇪🇺 EU Community Licence
- • For cross-border transport within EU/EEA + CH
- • Valid 10 years; each vehicle receives a certified copy
- • 4 requirements: professional competence, financial capacity (€9,000 + €5,000/vehicle), reliability, genuine establishment
- • Transport manager must pass IHK exam or demonstrate professional experience
🌍 CEMT Authorisation
- • For transport between 43 CEMT member states (incl. Turkey, Ukraine, UK)
- • Annual or short-term authorisation; limited quota
- • From quota year 2026: digital only (no paper)
- • CH: CHF 900/annual authorisation; application by 1 October previous year
📋 Bilateral Authorisations
- • For countries outside EU/CEMT (e.g. Kazakhstan, Morocco, Iran)
- • Subject to quota; application at BALM (DE) or BAV (CH)
- • Important: empty runs on a different route (transit) may require separate authorisation
💡 Note: The EU Community Licence does not entitle to cabotage. Cabotage rules apply for domestic transport in the host country (max. 3 journeys/7 days). Swiss companies need a Swiss operating licence (ASTRA) + LSVA calibration of the tachograph for CH–EU traffic.
Minimum Wage & Posting Rules – Risks for Eastern European Companies in DE
Basic rule: No special status for foreign drivers on German soil
As soon as a foreign driver is active on German territory (loading/unloading, cabotage, border crossing), the Posted Workers Act (AEntG) and Minimum Wage Act (MiLoG) apply. This affects Polish, Romanian, Bulgarian and other EU companies equally.
Obligations for foreign employers
- 💰 Minimum wage 2025: €12.82/h gross for every driver active in the vehicle (from 1 January 2026: €13.90/h)
- 📋 Registration duty: posting notification before work starts via Meldeportal Mindestlohn (customs)
- 🗂️ Documentation duty: keep working time records for 2 years
- 📄 In vehicle: employment contract (or translation), pay slips, working time records on DE request
Controls & Consequences
- 🚨 Controls 2025: 25,765 checks by customs; 1 in 4 businesses found in violation
- ⚠️ Fines: up to €30,000 per MiLoG violation; systematic violations up to €500,000
- 🔒 New powers from 30.12.2025: customs can question posted workers even after the posting ends
- ❌ Exclusion from public contracts possible for serious MiLoG violations
💡 Practical tip: The posting notification must be renewed before each DE activity (not just once). For DE–CH transport, the Swiss Posted Workers Act (EntsG) applies analogously: notification obligation with the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) from the first working day in Switzerland.
Weight Limits Europe
| Country | Standard (semi) |
|---|---|
| 🇪🇺 EU (Richtlinie) | 40 t |
| 🇨🇭 Schweiz | 40 t |
| 🇩🇪 Deutschland | 40 t |
| 🇸🇪 Schweden | 64 t |
| 🇫🇮 Finnland | 76 t |
Green Zones & Low Emission Zones (LEZ) Europe
🌍 Over 363 low emission zones in Europe – and growing
Each city has its own rules, minimum classes, operating hours and fines. Check before every trip to a major city – also for transit. Tip: green-zones.eu offers a current, free map of all European LEZs.
London – LEZ & ULEZ
LEZ (Low Emission Zone): applies to almost all of Greater London, 24h/7 days. Trucks over 3.5 t must meet EURO VI – otherwise: £100/day (3.5–12 t) or £300/day (>12 t). ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone): expanded to all of Greater London since Aug 2023. Applies to ALL vehicles including foreign plates.
📌 Check & pay: tfl.gov.uk/lezlondon. Payment by midnight on 3rd day after journey, or up to 90 days in advance. Without payment: fines up to £1,000 for HGVs.
Paris – ZFE & Crit'Air
ZFE-m (low emission zone): Paris + Petite Couronne (inner suburbs). Since Jan 2025: Crit'Air 3 banned (EURO 3 diesel, older petrol). Trucks need at least Crit'Air 2 (EURO 5) or Crit'Air 1 (EURO 6). Applies Mon–Fri 8am–8pm; weekends & public holidays excluded. Other cities: Lyon, Grenoble, Marseille, Toulouse.
📌 Order vignette: certificat-air.gouv.fr (€4.76 incl. postage, 3–4 weeks delivery). Foreign vehicles need the same vignette. Fines: €135 for trucks, €68 for cars.
Germany – Environmental Zones
Environmental sticker (green) mandatory in ~80 cities incl. Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart, Cologne, Frankfurt. For trucks from 3.5 t: EURO 5/6 usually required. Stuttgart: city-wide ban for EURO 4 diesel. Hamburg: bans on certain routes. Berlin: parts of the inner ring.
📌 Order sticker at TÜV, garage or online. Attach visibly in vehicle. Fines: €80 + €40 ancillary costs. Enforcement by public order office.
Belgium – Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent
Three separate LEZ systems. Foreign vehicles must register online before entry. Diesel EURO 0–4 and petrol EURO 0–1 prohibited. For trucks from 3.5 t: EURO 5+ mandatory. Brussels LEZ applies 24h daily, year-round.
📌 Register per city: lez.brussels · lezantwerp.be · lezgent.be. Single registration is not enough – re-register when rules change! Fines up to €350 (Brussels), up to €150 (Antwerp).
Netherlands – Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht
Amsterdam: diesel vehicles EURO 0–4 banned inside A10 ring (since 2025). Rotterdam: EURO 4+ for diesel, EURO 2+ for petrol. From 2025 15 new green zones specifically for commercial vehicles in Dutch cities. Separate: Vrachtwagenheffing from 01.07.2026 (toll for trucks >3.5 t).
📌 No vignette system – entry is controlled by licence plate reader cameras. Foreign plates are recognised. Fines: €100–400 depending on city.
Italy – ZTL & Northern Italy
ZTL zones in historic city centres (Rome, Florence, Bologna etc.) – entry only with authorisation. From 01.10.2025: Lombardy, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto plan bans for EURO 5 diesel in cities >20,000 residents. Milan: AREA B (EURO 3 diesel banned) and AREA C (congestion charge).
📌 ZTL cameras reliably read foreign licence plates. Fines: up to €330 per entry. For delivery addresses in ZTL zones: obtain exemption permit in advance.
Stockholm – LEZ & Zero Emission Zone
Europe's oldest LEZ (since 1996): LEZ1 for heavy trucks & buses >3.5 t, EURO V minimum standard. LEZ2 (since 2020): Hornsgatan, stricter requirements. Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ): EU-approved, introduction from Dec 2024, gradually until 2026 – then almost exclusively electric trucks permitted. Also: congestion tax (Trängselskatt) 6am–10pm on city centre access roads.
📌 Congestion tax: automatic deduction via licence plate. Swedish vehicles via account; foreign vehicles: payment via vehicle owner / leasing company.
Copenhagen – Miljøzone
Miljøzone applies in Copenhagen city centre and shopping areas, 24 hours daily. For trucks >3.5 t: EURO V minimum standard (EURO 0–4 banned). Also applies to foreign plates. Sign "Miljøzone" marks the boundary.
📌 No vignette system. Enforcement by police. Fines: approx. DKK 2,000–5,000 (≈ €270–670) for trucks. Plan routes around the centre if standard not met.
Spain – Barcelona & Madrid
Barcelona ZBE (Zona de Baixes Emissions): trucks without DGT eco label (Etiqueta Ambiental) banned Mon–Fri 7am–8pm in the city area. Pre-EURO 4 diesel banned since 2020. Madrid: ZBE Especial since Jan 2023, trucks without valid environmental label not allowed. National DGT sticker required (B, C, ECO or Zero).
📌 DGT label for foreign vehicles: apply via dgt.es or motorway service stations in ES. Fines: €100–200. Enforcement by licence plate cameras and police.
🗺️ All European low emission zones on one map: green-zones.eu (free, regularly updated). ADAC overview: adac.de/fahrverbote-umweltzonen. Before every trip to a new city, check the current regulations – rules change frequently.