Cabotage
Cabotage is the transport of goods between two points within the same country by a carrier registered in another country, subject to EU restrictions.
What is Cabotage?
Cabotage lets a haulier from one EU country fill an otherwise empty return by carrying domestic loads in another country. To keep foreign fleets from permanently operating in a host market, EU Regulation 1072/2009 allows it only temporarily and only after an international journey. The current rules, amended by the Mobility Package (Regulation 2020/1055), apply since 21 February 2022.
The cabotage rules: after delivering an international load into an EU country, a haulier may carry out up to three cabotage operations there with the same vehicle, with the last unloading within seven days of the international delivery. Alternatively, cabotage may be done in other member states, but only one operation per country, within three days of entering it unladen — still inside the overall limit of three operations in seven days. Once that period ends, the same vehicle may not do cabotage in the same country for four days: the cooling-off period.
At a roadside check the haulier must show evidence of the incoming international transport and of each cabotage operation — the details normally found on a CMR note; an e-CMR is accepted. The smart tachograph now records border crossings automatically, which makes the rules easier to enforce. Related Mobility Package rules require vehicles used internationally to return to an operational centre in the haulier's home country at least every eight weeks, and treat drivers performing cabotage as posted workers.
A TMS helps by recording each international delivery and every following domestic job per vehicle, so planners can see how many cabotage operations and days remain before offering a vehicle a local load.
Frequently asked questions
What are the EU cabotage rules?
Up to three cabotage operations within seven days after an international delivery into the host country, with the same vehicle; a four-day cooling-off period before that vehicle may do cabotage in the same country again; and documentary evidence of the international load and of each cabotage operation.
What is the four-day cooling-off period?
When the seven-day cabotage period ends, the haulier may not carry out cabotage with the same vehicle in the same member state for four days. In the meantime the vehicle can still carry international loads, or do cabotage in another member state within the normal limits.
What documents are needed for cabotage?
Evidence of the incoming international carriage and of each cabotage operation, showing the sender, consignee, haulier, the places and dates of loading and delivery, the goods and the vehicle's registration — the information normally found on a CMR note. It can be shown on paper or electronically, for example as an e-CMR; no additional form is required.
Do posting rules apply to cabotage?
Yes. Under Directive (EU) 2020/1057, drivers performing cabotage are posted workers in the host country, so host-country pay rules apply from the first day and the operator must submit a posting declaration. EU driving and rest time rules apply as usual.
See Cabotage in a real TMS
Transportial puts these concepts to work in one operational platform — planning, tracking, documents, and finance.