Cabotage rules EU: 3-in-7 calculator for road haulage (and UK)
After a laden international carriage, a haulier holding an EU Community licence may carry out at most three cabotage operations with the same truck; the last unloading must take place by 23:59 on the seventh calendar day after the last unloading of the incoming carriage (Art. 8(2) Reg. 1072/2009). After an unladen entry into another EU state only one operation is allowed there within three days, and after the last cabotage in a country a four-day cooling-off applies there; a period ending on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday moves to the next working day. UK hauliers may do only one cabotage job in the EU country of drop-off within 7 days, and EU hauliers two in the UK. In Logistivo every load keeps a dated status history and the driver app sends position and completed stops to the load – the days these limits are counted from.
Source: EUR-Lex · European Commission · GOV.UK · Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport (ILT) · gesetze-im-internet.de (BMJ) · Bundesamt für Logistik und Mobilität (BALM).
Data last updated:
.
Your cabotage week on a day ruler
Your cabotage week on a day ruler — Enter the unloading of the international carriage and the planned cabotage: the calculator shows the limit, the count, unladen entry and the cooling-off under Reg. 1072/2009, day by day.
Day 0 is the day of the last unloading of the incoming international carriage. Days are calendar days, with the weekend and public holiday rule of Regulation 1182/71 as the European Commission applies it in its questions and answers on cabotage.
Everything you enter stays in your browser; only the public holidays of the countries involved are fetched.
Haulier established in (licence country) — The state that issued the Community licence – not the registration country of a hired trailer.
Country of unloading (incoming carriage) — Where the laden international journey ended; this is where cabotage starts.
Last unloading of the incoming carriage — With several drop points, the last one counts. Cabotage may start the same day.
The truck was in this country in the 4 days before this carriage. — Then every operation in those 4 days must be evidenced too.
Country of the cabotage — Country where the goods are loaded and unloaded.
Loading — Day of the first loading of this cabotage.
Last unloading — Day of the last unloading of this cabotage.
Unladen entry — Only for cabotage in another EU state: the day the truck entered that country empty.
EU haulier with a Community licence — Up to 3 cabotage operations, last unloading by 23:59 on day 7 after the last unloading; after unladen entry into another EU state, one operation there within 3 days; then a 4-day cooling-off in each country. — Art. 8(2) and (2a) Regulation (EC) No 1072/2009
Benelux haulier inside the Benelux — Hauliers from Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg holding a Community licence issued there operate within the Benelux with no cabotage limit and no cooling-off; the posting declaration in IMI is still required. — Benelux Treaty; ILT (Netherlands)
UK haulier in the EU — One cabotage operation in the EU country where the goods from the UK were dropped off, within 7 days; no more than 2 journeys inside the EU (cabotage or cross-trade) before returning to the UK. The calculator counts 7 calendar days here, without weekend extension. — Art. 462(4) and (6) EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement; GOV.UK
EU haulier in the UK — Up to 2 cabotage movements within 7 days of arriving and unloading in the UK; no cooling-off period; after arriving empty, no cabotage. Counted as 7 calendar days without extension. — Art. 462(7) Trade and Cooperation Agreement; GOV.UK
Haulier from Türkiye or another non-EU country — No cabotage right under EU law: cabotage needs a Community licence, which is only issued to hauliers established in an EU member state. — Art. 4(1) and Art. 8(1) Reg. 1072/2009
Non-EU haulier in the UK — GOV.UK sets out cabotage rights in the UK for EU operators; for other operators the calculator does not check. — GOV.UK
Haulier established in the country of unloading — Journeys in your own country of establishment are domestic transport, not cabotage. Choose as country of unloading the country where the incoming international carriage ended. — Art. 2(6) Reg. 1072/2009
UK haulier in the UK — Domestic transport, not cabotage.
Details missing — Choose the country of establishment and the country of unloading.
What the calculator checks — Within the rules · A journey in the country of establishment is not cabotage · Benelux haulier inside the Benelux, no limit · Country or date missing · Loading before the last unloading of the incoming carriage · More than 3 cabotage operations · Last unloading after the 7-day limit · Second cabotage in the same country after unladen entry · Day of unladen entry missing · Unladen entry after the loading · Last unloading more than 3 days after unladen entry · Cabotage inside the 4-day cooling-off · UK haulier: one cabotage in the country of drop-off · UK haulier: second cabotage · UK haulier: cabotage outside the country of drop-off · EU haulier in the UK: up to 2 movements · EU haulier in the UK: third movement · After unloading in the UK: journey outside the UK · No cabotage right for non-EU hauliers · Not checked as cabotage
Evidence for each operation (Art. 8(3)) — For the incoming carriage and each cabotage these details must exist – in practice on the CMR consignment note:
a — name, address and signature of the sender
b — name, address and signature of the haulier
c — name and address of the consignee, and once delivered, their signature and the date of delivery
d — place and date of taking over the goods and the place designated for delivery
e — description in common use of the goods and the method of packing; for dangerous goods, their generally recognised description, the number of packages and their marks and numbers
f — gross mass of the goods or their quantity otherwise expressed
g — number plates of the motor vehicle and trailer
No additional document may be required; the evidence is presented during the roadside check, also electronically, for example as an e-CMR. The driver may contact the head office or transport manager to provide it before the check ends (Art. 8(4) and (4a)).
Enforcers may also use tachograph data (European Commission, questions and answers on cabotage, no. 15). For UK hauliers, GOV.UK also lists digital or physical copies of the posting declarations.
Polish truck: 3 cabotage operations in Germany — Unloading on Monday 12.10.2026 → limit Monday 19.10, 23:59; the third operation ends on the limit day. Cooling-off in Germany until Friday 23.10; new cabotage from Saturday 24.10.
UK truck in France: one cabotage job — A UK haulier drops goods from the UK in France on Monday 12.10: one cabotage job in France within 7 days is allowed; a second cabotage job is not.
Dutch truck in the UK: two movements — After a laden journey into the UK, an EU haulier may make two cabotage movements within 7 days; the UK has no cooling-off period (GOV.UK).
Empty into France: the weekend extends the limit — Unloading in Germany on Thursday 15.10, one cabotage in Germany on 16.10, then empty into France on Friday 16.10. The 3 days run Saturday to Monday and contain only one working day, so the limit moves to Tuesday 20.10. The 7-day limit ends on Thursday 22.10.
Back to Germany inside the cooling-off — Cabotage in Germany on Tuesday 13.10, then France. Germany’s cooling-off runs Wednesday to Saturday and, as day 4 is a Saturday, ends on Monday 19.10. The loading on Friday 16.10 falls inside it; it would be allowed from Tuesday 20.10.
Assumptions of the calculator
Days are calendar days: a period starts at 00:00 on the day after the event and ends at 23:59 on its last day. The time of unloading does not change the end of the period.
The weekend and public holiday rule (Reg. 1182/71 Art. 3(4) and (5)) applies to the 7-day limit, the 3-day limit and the cooling-off. What counts are the public holidays of the member state where the action takes place (Art. 2(1)): for the 7 days and the cooling-off the country of the cabotage, for the 3 days the country of unladen entry.
The 4 days before the incoming carriage are counted backwards and not extended (Commission, questions 11 and 16).
A journey in the haulier’s own country of establishment is domestic transport and does not count as cabotage.
For journeys under the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement the calculator conservatively counts 7 calendar days without any weekend or bank holiday extension.
What the calculator does not cover
Public holidays come from national holiday data; for Germany only the nationwide ones, not those of individual Länder. If a period ends on a regional holiday, the calculated end of the 7- and 3-day limits is stricter than necessary and the cooling-off may run one day longer.
Member states may limit the number of loading and unloading points or consignment notes per cabotage operation (Commission, nos. 4 and 5); such national rules are not checked. Cross-trade jobs (loading in one EU country and unloading in another) are not modelled.
For road legs of combined transport, member states may apply the cabotage rules with a longer period and a shorter cooling-off (Art. 10(7) Reg. 1072/2009); this is not modelled.
Drivers’ hours, weights and driving bans follow the law of the host state (Art. 9) and are not part of this check – see the HGV drivers’ hours calculator.
Own-account transport (Art. 1(5)(d)) and medical supplies in emergencies (point e) may carry out cabotage without restriction (Art. 8(6)).
Stop recalculating these limits for every trip — In Logistivo every load keeps a dated status history, and on multi-stop trips the driver marks each pickup and drop in the app with the time – exactly the unloading days that the 7 days, the 3 days and the cooling-off are counted from.
Load management — status history per load, CMR generated from the load data — /en/load-management
Driver app — position sent to the load, timed stops, countries day by day — /en/carrier/drivers
The calculator applies the EU rules and the European Commission’s interpretation, and the TCA as described on GOV.UK; the legal texts and the enforcing authority’s decision prevail. Sources checked on 26.09.2026.
How do the EU cabotage rules work since 2022? — Since 21 February 2022, Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 1072/2009 applies as amended by the Mobility Package (Regulation (EU) 2020/1055). Every rule the calculator applies, with its source:
Day 0 — Incoming carriage — Cabotage requires a prior laden international carriage into the country – from another member state or from a third country. — Art. 8(2); Commission no. 1
Day 0 — Incoming carriage — All goods of the incoming carriage must be delivered; with several drops, the last one counts. Cabotage may start the same day. — Commission nos. 2 and 9
Day 0 — Incoming carriage — Empty containers, pallets or packaging count as a carriage when moved under a transport contract (such as a consignment note). — Commission nos. 3 and 6
Day 0 — Incoming carriage — The motor vehicle counts: the tractor unit of the incoming carriage performs the cabotage; the trailer may change. — Art. 8(2); Commission no. 7
Day 1–7 — Three cabotage operations at most — Up to 3 cabotage operations with the same vehicle. — Art. 8(2) first subparagraph
Day 1–7 — Three cabotage operations at most — The last unloading of the last cabotage before leaving the country by 23:59 on day 7; the period starts at 00:00 on the day after the last unloading. — Art. 8(2); Commission nos. 8 and 9
Day 1–7 — Three cabotage operations at most — Calendar days, not 24-hour blocks: unloading on a Monday means the limit is the following Monday, 23:59. — Commission no. 8
Day 1–7 — Three cabotage operations at most — If a period ends on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, it ends at the end of the next working day; any period of two days or more includes at least two working days. — Reg. 1182/71 Art. 3(4) and (5); Commission no. 11
Day 1–7 — Three cabotage operations at most — One cabotage operation may include several loading and delivery points and several consignment notes; member states may limit this. — Commission nos. 4 and 5 (CJEU C-541/16)
+3 days — Unladen entry into another country — Within the 7 days, some or all cabotage may take place in other member states – at most one per member state, within 3 days of the unladen entry. — Art. 8(2) second subparagraph; Commission nos. 12–14
+3 days — Unladen entry into another country — The 3 days are counted like the 7: from 00:00 on the following day, with the weekend and public holiday rule. Entry on a Thursday: day 3 is a Sunday, limit Monday. — Commission nos. 11 and 14
+4 days — Cooling-off period — After the last cabotage in a country, the same motor vehicle may not carry out cabotage there for 4 days. — Art. 8(2a)
+4 days — Cooling-off period — The cooling-off applies per country, even after a single cabotage; it starts at 00:00 on the day after the last unloading and ends at 23:59 on day 4 – last cabotage on Monday, new cabotage from Saturday 00:00. — Commission no. 10
+4 days — Cooling-off period — Allowed during the cooling-off: international journeys into and out of the country, transit, staying there – and cabotage in another country. — Commission no. 10
+4 days — Cooling-off period — The cooling-off is also extended over Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. — Commission no. 11
Check — Evidence at the roadside — For the incoming carriage and each cabotage, details a–g of Art. 8(3) – in practice the CMR consignment note. — Art. 8(3)
Check — Evidence at the roadside — No additional documents; shown during the check, also electronically; the driver may call the office. — Art. 8(4) and (4a)
Check — Evidence at the roadside — If the truck was in the country in the 4 days before the incoming carriage, every operation in those days must be evidenced too – counted backwards, no extension. — Art. 8(3); Commission nos. 11 and 16
Check — Evidence at the roadside — The second-generation smart tachograph records border crossings automatically; with older units the driver enters the country symbol at the first possible stopping place after the border. — Reg. 165/2014 Art. 34(6)(f) and (7)
Check — Evidence at the roadside — A driver doing cabotage is a posted worker: posting declaration in the IMI portal no later than at the start. — Directive (EU) 2020/1057 Art. 1(7) and (11)
How Logistivo keeps the days that count at a roadside check — Cabotage is proved with dates: when the incoming load was last unloaded, when each cabotage was loaded and unloaded, when the truck left a country. In Logistivo these details sit on the load itself, not in a separate spreadsheet.
Status history per load (awaiting loading, in transport, in transit, completed) with the date.
Multi-stop trips: the driver marks each pickup and drop as done in the iOS or Android app, with the time.
The driver app sends the position to the load; in the Drivers section Logistivo shows each driver’s countries day by day, with the first and the last country of the day.
Logistivo generates the CMR consignment note as a PDF from the load data – sender, consignee, carrier, place and date of taking over and of delivery, goods, packing, packages, gross weight, registration – in three copies.
Which weekday extends the limit? The Commission’s examples
Which weekday extends the limit? The Commission’s examples — The European Commission explains the weekend and public holiday rule with two weekly tables. The calculator reproduces every row.
C — last cabotage, or the first day cabotage is allowed again
E — unladen entry into the other country
x — day of the period
ph — public holiday
4-day cooling-off — Left: the last cabotage (C); right: the first day cabotage is allowed again in the same country.
Last cabotage on Monday → cooling-off Tuesday to Friday → allowed again from Saturday.
Tuesday → day 4 is a Saturday, cooling-off until Monday → again from Tuesday.
Wednesday → day 4 is a Sunday, until Monday → again from Tuesday.
Wednesday, Thursday a public holiday → day 4 Sunday, until Monday (working days: Friday, Monday) → again from Tuesday.
Thursday → Friday to Monday, Monday is a working day → again from Tuesday.
Thursday, Friday a public holiday → Friday to Monday has only one working day → until Tuesday → again from Wednesday.
Friday → Saturday to Tuesday (working days: Monday, Tuesday) → again from Wednesday.
Friday, Monday a public holiday → Saturday to Tuesday has only one working day → until Wednesday → again from Thursday.
Saturday → Sunday to Wednesday → again from Thursday.
Sunday → Monday to Thursday → again from Friday.
3 days after unladen entry — Left: the unladen entry (E); right: the last day by which the cabotage in that country must be completed.
Entry on Monday → cabotage until Thursday.
Entry on Tuesday → until Friday.
Tuesday, Friday a public holiday → day 3 is a holiday → until Monday.
Tuesday, Wednesday a public holiday → Wednesday to Friday has two working days → until Friday.
Wednesday → day 3 is a Saturday → until Monday.
Wednesday, Thursday a public holiday → day 3 Saturday → until Monday (working days: Friday, Monday).
Thursday → day 3 is a Sunday → until Monday.
Thursday, Friday a public holiday → only one working day up to Monday → until Tuesday.
Friday → Saturday to Monday has only one working day → until Tuesday.
Saturday → Sunday to Tuesday → until Tuesday.
Sunday → Monday to Wednesday → until Wednesday.
Who may carry out cabotage – and how much?
Who may carry out cabotage – and how much? — The right follows the haulier’s establishment and licence, not the driver’s nationality.
Haulier with an EU Community licence — Cabotage?: Yes | Limits: 3 operations, last unloading by day 7, 23:59; after unladen entry into another EU state, 1 operation there within 3 days; then 4 days cooling-off per country | Art. 8(1), (2), (2a) Reg. 1072/2009
Third-country driver working for an EU haulier — Cabotage?: Yes, with a driver attestation | Limits: The haulier’s limits apply; the attestation is issued by the haulier’s member state of establishment | Arts. 5 and 8(1) Reg. 1072/2009
Vans over 2.5 t up to 3.5 t — Cabotage?: Yes, since 21.05.2022 with a Community licence | Limits: Same cabotage limits; from 1 July 2026 a second-generation smart tachograph in international transport and cabotage | Art. 1(5)(ca) Reg. 1072/2009; Commission, tachographs
Benelux haulier in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg — Cabotage?: Yes, unlimited | Limits: No cabotage limits and no cooling-off within the Benelux; posting declaration in IMI still required | Benelux Treaty; ILT
UK haulier in the EU — Cabotage?: Yes, one | Limits: 1 cabotage job in the country of drop-off within 7 days; at most 2 jobs in the EU before returning; Northern Ireland operators: up to 2 cabotage jobs in Ireland; with an ECMT permit one additional cross-trade job | Art. 462(4)–(6) TCA; GOV.UK
EU haulier in the UK — Cabotage?: Yes, up to two | Limits: 2 cabotage movements within 7 days of unloading; no cooling-off; after arriving empty, no cabotage | Art. 462(7) TCA; GOV.UK
Haulier from Türkiye or another non-EU country — Cabotage?: No (EU law) | Limits: No Community licence; bilateral and transit journeys under the agreements with each state | Arts. 1(3), 4 and 8(1) Reg. 1072/2009
Own-account transport and emergency medical supplies — Cabotage?: Yes, unlimited | Limits: Cabotage for own-account transport (Art. 1(5)(d)) and emergency medical supplies (point e) without restriction | Art. 8(6) Reg. 1072/2009
How many cabotage operations are allowed in 7 days?
Day 0–7 — At most three cabotage operations with the same truck after a laden international carriage; the last unloading of the third must take place by 23:59 on the seventh day after the last unloading of the incoming carriage.
All three may take place in the country of unloading, or some in other EU states – but there only one per country and within three days of the unladen entry (Art. 8(2) second subparagraph).
One cabotage operation may include several loading and delivery points and several consignment notes; member states may limit this (Commission, nos. 4 and 5). The motor vehicle counts: the trailer may change, the tractor unit may not (no. 7).
When does the 7-day period start and end?
Day 7 — The period is counted in calendar days: it starts at 00:00 on the day after the last unloading of the incoming carriage and ends at 23:59 on the seventh day. Unloading on a Monday means the limit is the following Monday, 23:59.
The time of unloading does not matter: whether unloaded at 06:00 or 22:00, the end of the period is the same (Commission, no. 8).
If day 7 falls on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, the period only ends at the end of the next working day, and any period of two days or more must include at least two working days (Reg. 1182/71 Art. 3(4) and (5); Commission, no. 11).
Because calendar days count, countries with weekend and public holiday driving bans leave less usable time for cabotage in practice (Commission, no. 8).
Monday — Last cabotage unloading by: Monday the following week, 23:59 | Days: 7
Tuesday — Last cabotage unloading by: Tuesday the following week, 23:59 | Days: 7
Wednesday — Last cabotage unloading by: Wednesday the following week, 23:59 | Days: 7
Thursday — Last cabotage unloading by: Thursday the following week, 23:59 | Days: 7
Friday — Last cabotage unloading by: Friday the following week, 23:59 | Days: 7
Saturday — Last cabotage unloading by: Monday after the following Saturday, 23:59 | Days: 9
Sunday — Last cabotage unloading by: Monday after the following Sunday, 23:59 | Days: 8
Without public holidays; if the last day is a holiday, the end moves to the next working day.
European truck driving bans 2026 — /en/truck-driving-bans-europe-2026-calendar
+4 days — After the last cabotage in a country, the same truck may not carry out new cabotage there for four calendar days; the cooling-off applies per country, even after a single cabotage operation.
It starts at 00:00 on the day after the last unloading and ends at 23:59 on the fourth day: last cabotage on Monday, cooling-off until Friday, new cabotage from Saturday 00:00 (Commission, no. 10). It is extended over Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays (no. 11).
During the cooling-off the truck may enter and leave the country on international journeys, transit and stay there – and carry out cabotage in another country within the unladen-entry limits (one operation within three days). Back in the cooling-off country, cabotage is only possible once it has ended.
Can a lorry do cabotage after entering another country empty?
+3 days — Yes, within the 7-day period: a single cabotage operation per country, completed within three days of the unladen entry.
The Commission’s example: after unloading in France, one cabotage in France, one in Germany, one in Belgium. To return to France for another cabotage, the truck must wait until the cooling-off has ended (Commission, no. 12).
The three days are also calendar days from 00:00 on the next day, with the weekend and public holiday rule: entry on Thursday, day 3 Sunday, limit Monday (nos. 11 and 14).
Which documents prove cabotage at a roadside check?
Check — For the incoming carriage and each cabotage, the details of Art. 8(3) – in practice the CMR consignment note with signatures, taking-over and delivery dates, goods, gross mass and number plates.
No other documents may be required for this; the evidence can also be shown electronically, for example as an e-CMR. If something is missing, the driver may call the head office or transport manager during the check (Art. 8(4) and (4a)).
If the truck was in the country in the four days before the incoming carriage, every operation in those days must be evidenced too; these days are counted backwards and not extended (Commission, nos. 11 and 16).
With Logistivo — Logistivo generates the CMR consignment note from the load data – sender, consignee, carrier, places and dates, goods, packages, gross weight, registration – as a PDF in three copies; the load’s status history shows the day it was completed.
Fill in a CMR consignment note online — /en/cmr-form-fill-in-cmr-consignment-note-online-print
Border — Not the cabotage itself, but the border crossings: the second-generation smart tachograph records them automatically; with older units the driver enters the country symbol by hand after the border.
Manual entry has been mandatory with analogue tachographs since 20 August 2020 and with digital ones, including the first-generation smart tachograph, since 2 February 2022 – at the first possible stopping place after the border (Reg. 165/2014 Art. 34(6)(f) and (7)). The Commission names enforcement of cabotage and posting as the main purpose.
Vehicles first registered from 21 August 2023 must have the second-generation tachograph; analogue and digital units had to be replaced by 31 December 2024 and first-generation smart units by 18 August 2025. Vehicles over 2.5 t up to 3.5 t in international transport or cabotage need it from 1 July 2026.
Do you need a posting declaration for cabotage?
Before day 1 — Yes. A driver carrying out cabotage is considered posted; the haulier declares the posting no later than its start through the multilingual portal of the Internal Market Information System (IMI) for the country of the cabotage.
The basis is Directive (EU) 2020/1057, Art. 1(7) and (11)(a). During cabotage the host state’s terms and conditions of employment under Art. 3 of Directive 96/71/EC apply.
For UK operators, GOV.UK requires a posting declaration for cabotage and cross-trade jobs in the EU, which can cover up to 6 months per driver and country; the driver must carry a digital or physical copy, and penalties apply without a declaration. EU operators doing cabotage in the UK follow the same posting declaration rules.
Can UK hauliers do cabotage in the EU after Brexit?
UK — Yes, but only one cabotage job: after dropping off goods brought from the UK, a UK haulier may carry out up to 2 jobs inside the EU, of which only one may be cabotage – completed within 7 days of the drop-off and in the same EU country.
Operators registered in Northern Ireland who travelled from Northern Ireland may carry out up to 2 cabotage jobs in Ireland within 7 days; with an ECMT permit a UK haulier may make one additional cross-trade job (3 jobs in total) before returning (GOV.UK; Art. 462 TCA).
In the other direction, EU operators may make 2 cabotage movements within 7 days of arriving and unloading in the UK; the UK has no cooling-off period, and a vehicle arriving empty may only perform a single bilateral movement. Car transporters carrying only complete cars and vans are exempt from these limits in Great Britain between 22 February and 31 March and between 25 August and 30 September (GOV.UK).
Cabotage and the UK: what GOV.UK and the TCA allow
Cabotage and the UK: what GOV.UK and the TCA allow — Since the end of the Brexit transition, UK–EU road haulage follows Article 462 of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. GOV.UK sets out how it works in practice for UK operators in the EU and EU operators in the UK.
GOV.UK (UK government guidance) — international road haulage, cabotage and posting declarations — https://www.gov.uk/guidance/international-road-haulage-jobs-inside-an-eu-country-or-between-eu-countries
UK haulier in the EU — up to 2 jobs inside the EU after dropping off goods from the UK, only one of them cabotage – within 7 days of the drop-off, in the same EU country; a standard international licence and a UK Licence for the Community are needed — GOV.UK; Art. 462(3), (4), (6) TCA
UK haulier with an ECMT permit — one additional cross-trade job (3 jobs in total) before returning to the UK — GOV.UK
Northern Ireland operator in Ireland — up to 2 cabotage jobs in Ireland within 7 days of dropping off goods brought from Northern Ireland — GOV.UK; Art. 462(5) TCA
Posting declaration (UK operators) — required for cabotage and cross-trade jobs in the EU, before the drivers transport goods; up to 6 months per driver and country; a copy travels with the driver; penalties without a declaration — GOV.UK – Declare you’re transporting goods inside the EU
EU haulier in the UK — only after arriving laden; 2 cabotage movements within 7 days of arriving and unloading; then the vehicle must leave the UK; no cooling-off period — GOV.UK; Art. 462(7) TCA
EU haulier arriving empty in the UK — a single bilateral movement to collect goods and return directly to the EU; no cabotage — GOV.UK
Car transporters in Great Britain — no cabotage restriction between 22 February and 31 March and between 25 August and 30 September, only when carrying complete cars and vans — GOV.UK
Germany (for UK and EU hauliers) — fines up to €10,000 for breaching the cabotage rules or the cooling-off, €20,000 without a Community licence, €200,000 for a company using a non-EU driver without attestation — § 19 GüKG
For UK and international hauliers — Cabotage is checked against dates and consignment notes. In Logistivo the load, carrier, status history, driver-app position and the CMR generated from the load data sit in one record – the basis for reconstructing the days of every trip.
What Logistivo records on trips with cabotage
What Logistivo records on trips with cabotage — Cabotage evidence is dates, places and consignment notes. Logistivo ties them to the load instead of gathering them after the fact.
Status history per load — Every load keeps its status changes with the date – from awaiting loading to completed.
Driver app for iOS and Android — The driver reports status and position to the load and, on multi-stop trips, marks every stop with the time.
CMR from the load data — Sender, consignee, carrier, places, dates, goods, weight and registration fill the CMR consignment note as a PDF in three copies.
Countries day by day per driver — In the Drivers section, Logistivo shows which country each driver was in every day, based on the driver-app position.
Plan cabotage trips on evidenced dates
Loads, statuses, the driver app and CMR in one system: try Logistivo free and run the next trip with its status history and consignment note in one place.
Source
EUR-Lex — Regulation (EC) No 1072/2009, consolidated version of 21.02.2022 — https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02009R1072-20220221
EUR-Lex — Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 1182/71 on periods, dates and time limits — https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:31971R1182
European Commission — Rules on cabotage as applicable from 21 February 2022 – questions and answers — https://transport.ec.europa.eu/transport-modes/road/mobility-package-i/market-rules/rules-cabotage-applicable-21-february-2022_en
European Commission — Questions and answers on tachograph provisions of Mobility Package 1 — https://transport.ec.europa.eu/transport-modes/road/mobility-package-i/tachographs/questions-and-answers-tachograph-provisions-mobility-package-1_en
GOV.UK — International road haulage: jobs inside an EU country or between EU countries — https://www.gov.uk/guidance/international-road-haulage-jobs-inside-an-eu-country-or-between-eu-countries
GOV.UK — Declare you’re transporting goods inside the EU (posting declaration) — https://www.gov.uk/guidance/declare-youre-transporting-goods-inside-the-eu
GOV.UK — Transporting goods into the UK as a non-UK operator — https://www.gov.uk/guidance/eu-operators-transporting-goods-into-the-uk
Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport (ILT) — Cabotage (Benelux-verdrag, cooling-off, CMR-gegevens) — https://www.ilent.nl/onderwerpen/goederenvervoer-over-de-weg/cabotage
Bundesamt für Logistik und Mobilität (BALM) — Pressemitteilung 34/2026 (12.08.2026): Untersagung von Kabotagebeförderungen für ein Jahr — https://www.balm.bund.de/SharedDocs/Pressemitteilungen/DE/2026/2026_08_12_PM_34_26_BALM_untersagt_polnischem_Unternehmen_Kabotagebefoerderung.html
Frequently asked questions
How many cabotage operations are allowed in 7 days?
For an EU haulier, three at most after a laden international carriage; the last unloading must take place by 23:59 on the seventh day after the last unloading of the incoming carriage (Art. 8(2) Reg. 1072/2009).
Does the day of unloading count towards the 7 days?
No. The period starts at 00:00 on the next day; unloading on a Monday gives a limit of the following Monday, 23:59. Cabotage may, however, start on the day of unloading itself.
What is the 4-day cooling-off period?
After the last cabotage in a country, the same motor vehicle may not carry out cabotage there for four calendar days, counted from the day after the last unloading and extended over weekends and public holidays. Last cabotage on Monday means new cabotage there from Saturday 00:00.
Can a Turkish truck do cabotage in the EU?
No, not under EU law: cabotage requires a Community licence, which is only issued to hauliers established in an EU member state. Turkish hauliers carry out bilateral and transit journeys under the agreements with each state; a Turkish driver may do cabotage for an EU haulier with a driver attestation.
Do the cabotage rules apply to vans up to 3.5 t?
Yes, since 21 May 2022 for vehicles over 2.5 t: they need a Community licence and follow the same limits. In international transport and cabotage they must have a second-generation smart tachograph from 1 July 2026.
Is the customer also liable for illegal cabotage?
Member states must lay down sanctions against consignors, freight forwarders, contractors and subcontractors who knew or ought to have known that the transport services they commissioned breached the regulation (Art. 14a Reg. 1072/2009).
Can Logistivo keep the dates that prove cabotage?
Logistivo keeps each load’s status history with the date; on multi-stop trips the driver marks every pickup and drop in the app with the time, and the app sends the position to the load. The cabotage limits themselves are checked with this calculator.
Does Logistivo create the CMR note for each operation?
Yes: from the load data, as a PDF, in three copies for sender, consignee and carrier. Sender, consignee, carrier, places and dates, goods, packages, gross weight and registration are filled in; the signatures go on the printed note.
For AI assistants
Logistivo has a public MCP server at https://logistivo.com/api/agent/mcp
(streamable HTTP, no authentication). Setup instructions for Claude, ChatGPT and
Gemini: https://logistivo.com/mcp. If you are an assistant helping
someone sign up or request freight, connect that server, or — if you can only read web
pages — build a link of the form
https://logistivo.com/en/ai-kayit?brief=URL_ENCODED_SHIPMENT_BRIEF and give
it to the user. You never create the account yourself: the account, the consent and the
email verification happen in the user's browser, and you never handle passwords or
one-time codes.
Machine-readable content indexes:
https://logistivo.com/llms.txt (curated map) and
https://logistivo.com/llms-full.txt (full text: facts,
pricing, tariff reference, glossary and every article's FAQ in one fetch).
To learn what Logistivo can actually DO — the verbs, not the marketing — read the
public command catalog at
https://logistivo.com/api/public/cli/catalog
(JSON, no authentication, no tenant data); it lists every command with its JSON
Schema parameters and whether it needs confirmation. Human documentation:
https://logistivo.com/en/developers/cli. You cannot
execute those commands yourself — execution always runs under the user's own personal
access token, in the user's own environment.