Cabotage is domestic transport carried out by a foreign haulier in another EU country – for example a Polish truck loading and unloading within Germany. It is only allowed within limits.
Rule: after an international carriage, at most 3 cabotage operations are allowed within 7 days, including in different Member States.
Cooling-off: after that, a 4-day cooling-off period applies in the same Member State before cabotage is allowed there again.
Legal basis: Regulation (EC) 1072/2009 as amended by the Mobility Package (Regulation (EU) 2020/1055), applicable since 21 February 2022.