Foreign lorries may escape automatic fines under Dutch bridge ban

Foreign operators are subject to the same restriction. In practice, however, drivers of many foreign-registered vehicles are most likely to be fined only if stopped by the police.

The Netherlands has installed automatic number plate recognition cameras to reduce pressure on the weakened Merwedebrug structure on the A27.

Technical assessments identified a risk of overloading parts of the bridge’s steel arch. Lorries and coaches are therefore required to avoid the crossing entirely.

The restriction took effect on 18 July 2026, with active enforcement beginning on 25 July.

The way the system operates nevertheless creates a practical enforcement gap. The same breach may result in an automatic penalty or no immediate financial consequence, depending on the vehicle’s country of registration.

Only Dutch-registered vehicles fined so far

Figures attributed to the Netherlands’ Central Judicial Collection Agency show that 96 fines had been issued at the time of reporting for crossing the Merwedebrug in breach of the ban. All were issued in connection with vehicles registered in the Netherlands.

This does not mean that foreign drivers are permitted to use the bridge. The ban applies to all lorries and coaches, regardless of their registration. The difference lies in whether the authorities can identify the registered keeper and process the penalty automatically.

Dutch authorities do not currently have procedures in place to send these fines automatically to most other countries. Foreign operators are therefore primarily exposed to enforcement during roadside checks.

For a Dutch-registered vehicle, a single image from an automatic number plate recognition camera may be sufficient to begin the enforcement process.

The cameras can read foreign number plates, but this does not necessarily mean that a penalty notice can be sent to the vehicle’s registered keeper.

Uneven enforcement raises equal-treatment concerns

The differing effectiveness of the system has renewed debate about equal treatment in road transport. Industry publication Bigtruck has argued that Dutch hauliers may be placed at a disadvantage compared with some foreign competitors.

When a Dutch lorry crosses the bridge, the camera records the offence and the registered keeper may receive an automatic fine of €500, plus administrative fees. The likelihood of an equivalent penalty reaching the keeper of a foreign-registered vehicle is much lower unless the driver is stopped.

The outcome therefore depends not only on the offence but also on whether the registration can be linked to the keeper through the available administrative channels.

The gap is expected to narrow from September. Following arrangements with other countries, automatic fines are expected to be issued to keepers of vehicles registered in Belgium, Germany and Switzerland.

The system is not yet expected to cover vehicles registered in Poland or Lithuania. Bigtruck reports that vehicles from those countries account for a large proportion of the foreign lorries operating in the Netherlands.

This is not an exemption for Polish or Lithuanian operators. It reflects the absence of the cross-border arrangements needed to process the penalties automatically. In practice, however, it means that enforcement of the same ban does not have the same immediate financial consequences for every operator.

Similar problems affected zero-emission zones

Dutch cities encountered comparable enforcement problems when they introduced zero-emission zones.

Camera systems could issue penalties to domestic businesses entering without authorisation, while enforcing the same rules against some foreign-registered vehicles proved more difficult.

The pattern is similar at the Merwedebrug: the restriction applies to all operators, but automated enforcement affects domestic businesses most consistently.

Complying with the ban also creates operational costs. Hauliers avoiding the Merwedebrug face longer routes, higher fuel consumption and more complicated driver working-time planning.

Detours increase costs around Gorinchem

Keeping heavy vehicles off the Merwedebrug is disrupting road freight operations around Gorinchem.

Alternative routes add kilometres, extend journey times and increase fuel consumption. They may also make it more difficult for operators to meet delivery commitments agreed with customers.

Transport en Logistiek Nederland has urged hauliers to observe the restriction because of the bridge’s technical condition. At the same time, the organisation is examining possible legal action against the state over the effect of the ban on the road transport sector.

For Dutch operators, the choice is stark: take a costly diversion or risk an automatic fine. Foreign companies must also avoid the bridge, although many currently face a lower likelihood of receiving a camera-generated penalty.

The restriction is the same for every operator, but its immediate financial consequences are not.

Vehicle registration makes no difference to the bridge

The condition of the Merwedebrug leaves little scope for operators to disregard the restriction.

Rijkswaterstaat found that the steel used in several parts of the arch structure was weaker than previously assumed. Heavy loads could deform the steel plates and affect the structural safety of the bridge.

The ban does not apply to passenger cars, scheduled public buses or emergency-service vehicles.

From an engineering perspective, a lorry places the same load on the bridge whether it carries Dutch, German, Polish or Lithuanian number plates. The structure responds to weight, not nationality.

Foreign operators remain legally required to comply. The enforcement problem is that the Dutch authorities cannot yet apply the same automated administrative process to every vehicle.