French authorities carried out a large-scale series of roadside inspections during the May holidays. The operation was organized by DREAL Normandy in cooperation with the police, gendarmerie, and labor inspectorate.
The main objective was to verify compliance with European regulations prohibiting drivers from spending the regular weekly rest period of at least 45 hours inside the vehicle cab. The rule is considered a key element of the EU’s social legislation, aimed at protecting drivers’ working conditions and ensuring fair competition in the road transport sector.
Violations Found in 45% of Inspections
Inspectors checked a total of 149 commercial vehicles, with violations detected in 68 cases, representing approximately 45% of all inspections.
In 30 cases, the violations were directly related to the prohibition on taking the regular weekly rest inside the cab. Authorities also identified 21 serious offenses, 34 Category 5 violations, and 50 Category 4 violations, many of which concerned drivers’ working and rest time regulations.
The inspections covered both heavy goods vehicles and light commercial vehicles, regardless of their country of registration. Particular attention was paid to international freight transport and cabotage operations.
In addition to infringements related to weekly rest periods, inspectors detected violations involving excessive driving times, posted worker regulations, illegal cabotage operations, traffic offenses, improper tachograph use, and irregularities involving drivers’ licenses.
French authorities emphasize that such practices affect not only driver welfare and road safety but also fair competition within the transport industry. Companies that fail to provide drivers with proper accommodation outside the vehicle reduce operating costs at the expense of European social standards.
Particular concern surrounds the growing use of light commercial vehicles (LCVs) in international transport. These vehicles are often less suitable for extended rest periods than heavy trucks, yet they are increasingly used for cross-border freight operations.
Smart Tachograph Rules Tighten from July 2026
Normandy authorities have announced that inspections will continue and become even more extensive following the introduction of new EU requirements that entered into force on July 1, 2026.
Under the new regulations, light commercial vehicles with a gross vehicle weight exceeding 2.5 tonnes engaged in international freight transport must now be equipped with a second-generation Smart Tachograph (Smart Tacho 2).
Enforcement agencies have warned that some operators may attempt to circumvent the new rules by switching to vehicles below the 2.5-tonne threshold or by reducing vehicle equipment and driver comfort standards. As a result, future inspections will focus not only on technical compliance but also on identifying business practices designed to bypass European social legislation governing international road transport.
Read also: New Report Reveals Widespread Problems in Europe’s International Road Transport Sector
