trans.info — 2026-06-30
Land transportation
What’s changing at EU level
Light commercial vehicles: tachograph rules extended
For the light goods vehicle segment, July marks a turning point. One of the most debated stages of the Mobility Package takes effect on 1 July 2026, extending tachograph rules to vans used for paid international carriage of goods and cabotage operations.
The obligation applies to vehicles — and vehicle combinations such as a van with a trailer — with a gross vehicle weight above 2.5 tonnes but not exceeding 3.5 tonnes. In roadside checks, the decisive factor will be the gross vehicle weight listed in the vehicle documents, not the vehicle’s actual weight on the day.
Companies covered by the new requirement must have Smart Tacho G2V2 units installed by 1 July. Installation, calibration and activation (including applying the company lock) can only be carried out by certified workshops.
The rules also include exemptions. One is the so-called crafts exemption, which allows operation without a tachograph if the driver is carrying their own tools or products within a 100-kilometre radius of the base and driving is not their main job. Another exclusion covers transport for a company’s own account: there is no distance limit, but the transport cannot be provided for third parties, and the driver cannot be employed solely as a professional driver.
We covered the full list of exemptions, obligations and penalties in a FAQ guide on Trans.info.
New safety tech: mandatory “black boxes” and emergency braking
Another phase of the GSR (General Safety Regulation) rolls out on 7 July 2026. From that date, advanced emergency braking systems (AEB) will be mandatory for all newly produced heavy goods vehicles.
In addition, all newly type-approved trucks will have to be fitted with event data recorders (EDR) — effectively “black boxes” for road incidents. From 2029, the requirement will extend to all vehicles in these categories. For fleets, this means factoring the new specifications into purchasing decisions, training staff, and updating internal procedures.
Customs union reform: new rules for imports from outside the EU
From 1 July 2026, the EU will begin applying a flat customs fee of €3 to consignments valued up to €150 imported from outside the EU in the context of online sales. The measure is part of the customs union reform and is intended to reduce the competitive edge of sellers shipping goods from outside the bloc.
Importantly, the fee will be calculated per item in the customs declaration — not per parcel. If one order contains products that fall under different tariff classifications or are made from different materials, the €3 charge may apply multiple times.
Customs procedures will also change. From 1 July, businesses will be able to submit product identifiers (PID) on a voluntary basis; from 1 November, PIDs will become mandatory for goods sold via imported distance selling. At the same time, the simplified option for invalidating customs declarations for returned goods will be removed, meaning standard procedures will be required to reclaim customs duties. For companies handling high parcel volumes, this is another process change to implement ahead of the autumn and winter sales peak.
Tolls: three countries, three different paths
The Netherlands: Eurovignette replaced by pay-per-kilometre
From 1 July, the Netherlands will switch from the Eurovignette to an electronic toll system that charges per kilometre driven. The scheme will cover all motorways, selected national roads and some local road sections — a network of around 3,000 km. Operating without the required contract or with a faulty on-board unit may result in fines of up to €800. More practical details on the new obligations are available in a FAQ guide on Trans.info.
Belgium: CO2-based surcharges added to tolls
Belgium will also revise its toll rules from 1 July 2026. In Flanders, existing rates will be supplemented by a new charge linked to the vehicle’s CO2 emissions class. Lower CO2 emissions will mean a lower total cost per trip. Vehicles first registered before 1 July 2019 will generally be assigned automatically to class 1 (the least favourable for charges), while class 5 will be reserved for zero-emission vehicles only.
Carriers will also need to declare their vehicle’s CO2 class to their OBU provider and, if required, update the parameters on the on-board unit. In the Brussels-Capital Region, toll rates will be indexed annually, while in Wallonia new tariffs adopted by the regional government will apply.
Romania: TollRo delayed until autumn
Romania’s new road charging system was due to go live next month, but the country’s parliament has pushed the TollRo start date from 1 July to 1 October 2026. The delay is linked to late publication of implementing rules and the need to complete functional and security testing. Until then, carriers will continue using the current rovinieta-based system, and already purchased rovinietas will remain valid for the period they were issued for. The change gives operators three extra months to prepare for the new regime.
Germany tightens enforcement: crackdown on penalty-point trading and longer prosecution windows
Major legal changes are also coming for anyone operating in Germany. An amendment to the Road Traffic Act (StVG) takes effect on 1 July. The updated rules explicitly ban the trading of penalty points and the submission of false statements about who was driving a vehicle. Offering, brokering or using such practices may be punished with fines ranging from €5,000 to €30,000.
The rules will apply to foreign drivers as well. Points entered into the Flensburg register can lead to a driving ban in Germany, so correctly documenting the person behind the wheel will become even more critical for transport companies.
At the same time, the limitation period for prosecuting road offences will double from three to six months. In practice, this means a fine decision may reach a carrier long after the incident. The amendment also lays the groundwork for a digital driving licence and allows automated registration of parking offences by scanning vehicles (so-called scan cars).
Pay rules: higher rates for posted drivers in the Netherlands
From 1 July 2026, the Netherlands will raise its statutory minimum wage. The new hourly rate for employees aged 21 and over will be €14.99, an increase of 1.9%.
This matters for international operators too. Under the Mobility Package, the higher rates will also apply to drivers carrying out cabotage and cross-trade operations in the Netherlands, as they fall under posting rules for road transport. Drivers performing such work are entitled to pay in line with Dutch legislation or collective labour agreements for the time they work in the country. The change does not apply to bilateral transport or transit.