The inspection took place on Thursday, 5 February 2026, at around 5:00 p.m. Officers from the motorway and traffic police station in Metelsdorf, operating within the Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania state police structures, stopped a Dutch truck with a trailer for inspection near the Wismar motorway interchange.
First the speed, then the shocking weigh-in
According to a statement from the local police, the initial suspicion concerned exceeding the permitted speed. However, during a further inspection of the vehicle combination and the transported load of scrap metal, officers developed additional doubts about the vehicle’s gross vehicle weight.
In order to clearly determine the weight, the truck was directed to the premises of one of the companies in Wismar, where a check weigh-in was carried out. The result was unequivocal: 74.4 tonnes with a permitted limit of 40 tonnes. This means an overload of 34.4 tonnes, i.e. around 86%. Such a significant exceedance of the limit is not a minor administrative lapse, but a serious violation that directly affects road safety and the condition of infrastructure.
The 31-year-old driver from the Netherlands had to pay €3,500 on the spot as a deposit towards the fine. This mechanism is intended to eliminate any potential financial gains resulting from breaking the rules.
What does the German fine schedule say?
According to the German fine schedule, a truck with a gross vehicle weight above 7.5 tonnes is considered overloaded when the limit is exceeded by more than 2%. The tolerance is therefore minimal, due to the high risk posed by overloaded vehicle combinations.
If the permitted weight is exceeded by more than 30%, the driver faces a €380 fine and 1 penalty point, while the carrier as the vehicle owner may face as much as €425 and 1 point.
In this case, however, we are talking about an 86% exceedance of the permitted gross vehicle weight—a scale that goes far beyond the highest threshold indicated in the sanctions table. Importantly, German law provides for liability both for the driver and the vehicle owner. This is meant to prevent situations in which economic pressure encourages deliberate violations.
Under the regulations, an overloaded vehicle may continue its journey only after its weight has been reduced to the permitted level. In practice, this often means the need for partial unloading before continuing the route.
“Studies show that truck drivers are usually only able to detect an overload without using scales when the weight is about 30 percent too high. If there is any doubt about the load, the vehicle should be weighed before driving,” we read in the fine schedule.
Speed like in a passenger car
The tachograph check additionally revealed that, during the period analysed, there were serious exceedances of the permitted speed. In the most extreme case, 137 km/h was recorded.
As a reminder, in Germany the maximum speed for trucks with a gross vehicle weight above 3.5 tonnes on motorways is 80 km/h. This means an exceedance of almost 60 km/h.
Combined with the overload, the consequences of a potential accident could have been tragic. Excess weight increases braking distance, puts greater strain on the braking system, suspension and tyres, and also changes the vehicle’s handling characteristics. An overloaded vehicle combination may skid, and during sudden braking the load may shift uncontrollably.
A real danger, not a statistic
The vehicle combination, which had arrived from Anklam, was not allowed to continue towards the Netherlands. Police decided that the vehicle could continue its journey only after the gross weight had been reduced to 40 tonnes.
This case should be a warning signal for the industry. A vehicle overloaded by 86% and travelling at 137 km/h is not only a breach of regulations, but a real threat to the lives of other road users. At a time when the transport sector is fighting for the image of a responsible and professional part of the economy, such cases undermine trust in the entire industry and harm those carriers who comply with the rules.
