A Slovak haulier unloads a consignment in Germany or the Czech Republic and, instead of running home empty, receives an offer to carry goods between two towns in that same country. Such a journey is cabotage, and a Community licence permits it, but only in the numbers and within the time limits that Regulation (EC) No 1072/2009 tightened with Mobility Package I (Regulation (EU) 2020/1055). To this was added a duty to organise the vehicle fleet so that vehicles return to the Member State of establishment at regular intervals.
What cabotage is and who may perform it
The Regulation defines it as national carriage for hire or reward carried out on a temporary basis in a host Member State (Article 2(6)). A haulier holding a Community licence is entitled to perform it, and where its driver comes from a third country, the driver must also hold a driver attestation (Article 8(1)). In Slovakia the driver attestation is issued by the Ministry of Transport on the haulier’s application (Section 6a(1) of Act No. 56/2012 Coll.). We described the Community licence and the conditions on which a haulier obtains it in what you need for a road haulage authorisation.
Three operations, seven days and a four-day cooling-off period
The scope of cabotage is not open-ended; it is tied to a preceding international carriage:
Once the goods carried in the course of an incoming international carriage have been delivered, hauliers referred to in paragraph 1 shall be permitted to carry out, with the same vehicle, or, in the case of a coupled combination, the motor vehicle of that same vehicle, up to three cabotage operations following the international carriage from another Member State or from a third country to the host Member State. The last unloading in the course of a cabotage operation before leaving the host Member State shall take place within 7 days from the last unloading in the host Member State in the course of the incoming international carriage.
Within those same seven days, the haulier may perform some or all of the permitted cabotage operations in other Member States as well, at most one in each State within three days of the empty vehicle entering its territory (Article 8(2), second subparagraph). Once the last cabotage operation has been completed, a cooling-off period applies: for four days the haulier may not perform cabotage in that same State with the same vehicle, or, in the case of a coupled combination, with the same motor vehicle (Article 8(2a)). The restriction attaches to the vehicle and, for a coupled combination, to the tractor unit, so swapping the semi-trailer changes nothing.
Evidence must be in the vehicle or available during the check
Cabotage complies with the Regulation only if the haulier can clearly evidence the preceding international carriage and each subsequent cabotage operation; where the vehicle was also in the host State during the four days preceding the international carriage, it must also evidence the operations from that period (Article 8(3)). For each operation the evidence must contain in particular the consignor, the haulier and the consignee with signatures, the place and date of taking over and of delivery, a description of the goods, their weight and the registration numbers of the vehicle and trailer. Evidence may also be presented electronically, for example as an electronic consignment note (e-CMR), and during the check the driver may contact head office or the transport manager to have a missing document supplied before the check ends (Article 8(4a)).
The haulier must also keep documents containing cabotage data at the premises of its place of establishment in Slovakia, together with carriage contracts and documents on the posting of drivers (Section 7(n) of Act No. 56/2012 Coll.). The Slovak Act penalises cabotage contrary to the rules with a fine of EUR 100 to EUR 15,000 (Section 48(1)(j)); for cabotage on Slovak territory, professional supervision and the imposition of fines lie with the Ministry of Transport (Section 41(1)(n), Section 45(3)).
The vehicle’s return every eight weeks
Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009, as in force, links the requirement of an effective and stable establishment with a requirement that vehicles used in international carriage return to one of the operational centres in the Member State of establishment at least every eight weeks (Article 5(1)(b)). The Slovak Act has taken it over among a haulier’s general duties:
A haulier must […] organise the activity of its vehicle fleet so as to ensure that vehicles return to the undertaking’s Member State of establishment at least every eight weeks after leaving it […]
— Section 7(l) of Act No. 56/2012 Coll. (unofficial English translation)
A breach of that duty is a separate administrative offence (Section 48(1)(al)). A haulier planning long tours abroad therefore needs its dispatch office to track not only cabotage operations but also the date on which each vehicle last left Slovakia.
Documents and insurance, without which the journey does not begin
Every vehicle must carry evidence of the Community licence, the driver attestation where the driver needs one, the vehicle documents and the accompanying documents for the load (Section 7(d)); missing documents are a further ground for a fine (Section 48(1)(s)). A haulier in international road haulage must also be insured against liability for damage to the goods carried (Section 7(j)). When a dispute arises over payment of the freight, the time limits are short, as we examined in limitation of freight claims under the CMR.
How to proceed
It is worth reflecting the rules on cabotage and the return of vehicles in an internal dispatch policy and in carriage contracts, so that the customer does not request journeys the haulier may not perform. We arrange the Community licence, certified copies for new vehicles, driver attestations for third-country drivers and the setting up of post-licensing duties through road transport licensing. If the tachograph rules also apply to your vehicles, see tachographs in vans over 2.5 tonnes.
This article provides general legal information as at 12 September 2026. It does not constitute legal services or advice on your specific matter. Laws change and the details of your situation may differ. Check the appropriate course of action or contact us before making a decision.
