EU Cabotage Rules Checker (Mobility Package)

Three cabotage operations in seven days, then four days out of the country. Get the dates straight in seconds – enter your last international unload and see how many cabotage trips you have left and when the truck must leave.

✓ Mobility Package 3/7 + 4-day rule ✓ Instant date check ✓ No email required
Your cabotage situation

Cabotage operations remaining

0 of 3
Within the limit
7-day window ends – Must finish cabotage by – 4-day cool-off until –
Stay compliant – and avoid empty repositioning
  • Find a fresh outbound international load that legally resets your cabotage clock
  • A vetted freight exchange instead of trawling open load boards for the exit job
  • Match a backhaul before the 7-day window closes – no empty run to the border
Book a demo to find compliant loads

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Indicative guidance only, based on Regulation (EU) 2020/1055 (Mobility Package): up to 3 cabotage operations within 7 days of an incoming international delivery, then a 4-day cooling-off before further cabotage in the same Member State with the same vehicle. Always verify against current national enforcement.

What the cabotage rules actually say

Cabotage is the carriage of goods for hire within one country by a haulier registered in another. Under the EU Mobility Package, once a vehicle delivers an international load into a Member State it may perform up to three cabotage operations within seven days. After that, the same vehicle must observe a four-day “cooling-off” period before doing any further cabotage in that same Member State.

Get it wrong and the fines are steep and vary by country – which is why operators track the 7-day window and the 4-day reset to the day. This checker does that maths for you.

How to use this checker

1

Enter the unload date

The day you delivered your incoming international load.

2

Add trips done

How many cabotage operations you have already run in this window.

3

Check

See trips remaining, the window end, and the 4-day reset date.

How TrucksOnTheMap helps you stay compliant

Frequently asked questions

What is cabotage in road transport?
Cabotage is domestic carriage of goods for hire or reward performed within a Member State by a haulier established in another Member State, following an incoming international delivery.
What is the 3-in-7 rule?
After unloading an international load in a host Member State, a vehicle may carry out up to three cabotage operations within seven days of that unloading.
What is the 4-day cooling-off period?
Once the cabotage operations or the seven-day period end, the same vehicle may not perform further cabotage in the same Member State for four days. It can resume cabotage there after a fresh international delivery and the cool-off has elapsed.
Does the Mobility Package affect driver posting too?
Yes. Cabotage operations are subject to the posting-of-drivers rules under Directive (EU) 2020/1057, so drivers may be entitled to host-country pay and you must hold posting declarations and evidence of the transport operations.
What are the penalties for breaching cabotage limits?
Penalties are set nationally and can be substantial, including fines per offence and vehicle immobilisation. Enforcement has tightened since the Mobility Package, so accurate date tracking matters.
How does TrucksOnTheMap help with cabotage?
It helps you quickly source a compliant outbound international load so you can legally reset the cabotage clock, and matches paid backhauls so the exit run is not empty.

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