What changes in June 2026
- France will raise the minimum wage level used for posted drivers.
- Germany will change how it enforces driving bans for foreign drivers; the new approach applies from 1 June 2026.
- Norway will introduce new obligations on load securing, including mandatory documentation for higher-risk transports.
Together, the measures affect both international operations and day-to-day processes for carriers in Western Europe and the Nordic region. The common theme is tighter oversight: more formal requirements, clearer accountability and systems designed to make enforcement easier.
France raises the minimum wage benchmark
A key change for internationally active operators concerns France. From 1 June 2026, the French SMIC minimum wage will increase.
The French government has announced a 2.41% uplift. The monthly gross minimum will rise to €1,867.02, while the gross minimum hourly rate will reach €12.31.
For transport and logistics businesses, this is relevant for both international haulage and cabotage carried out in France. Under the EU Mobility Package rules, posted drivers must be paid at least the local minimum wage applicable in the country where the transport service is performed.
France also applies an automatic adjustment mechanism during the year when inflation exceeds a defined threshold. In this case, the mechanism was triggered after consumer prices moved beyond the 2% level.
In practical terms, the change increases labour costs for operators performing transport work in France.
Norway tightens load-securing responsibilities
Norway’s changes also take effect from 1 June 2026. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration is introducing updated requirements for securing loads in transport carried out with vehicles over 3.5 tonnes.
At the centre of the reform is a new provision (section 3-2a), which expands the transport company’s responsibility for how an assignment is planned and organised, and for ensuring the transport process is prepared in line with the rules. Companies will need to provide drivers with appropriate instructions on load securing, share the necessary operational information, and ensure conditions are in place for the journey to be carried out safely.
Drivers remain responsible for physically securing the load, but the new rules draw a clearer line between what sits with the driver and what sits with the transport undertaking.
Mandatory paperwork for “high-risk” transports
Norway is also introducing documentation requirements for transports classified as higher risk.
Carriers will have to prepare documentation describing how the load has been secured and what securing equipment has been used. The document must be ready no later than when loading begins, travel with the goods, and be presented during roadside checks.
The obligation will apply, among others, to:
- heavy and unstable loads,
- steel coils,
- concrete elements,
- cable drums,
- paper rolls transported upright,
- hook-lift containers,
- special transports.
Parts of the package have drawn questions from the industry, particularly around documentation details and how the new requirements will work in practice.
Germany drops licence stickers for foreign driving bans
Germany is also introducing an important change in June, reshaping how driving bans are enforced for drivers holding licences issued in other EU and EEA countries.
Until now, German authorities marked foreign driving licences with special notations, including the sticker featuring a crossed-out “D”. That approach was challenged by the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Under the new FVVollEUG law, in force from 1 June 2026, enforcement will move fully into the electronic FAER register maintained in Flensburg.
Driving bans move to a central register
From June, information on driving bans and licence withdrawals will be recorded digitally. German enforcement bodies will access the data via a central system, and the information is intended to be forwarded to the driver’s country of residence.
In practice, for example, a driver holding a Polish driving licence who receives a driving ban in Germany will be captured in the information exchange system used between EU and EEA countries.
The aim is to clarify when sanctions start to apply and to remove legal uncertainty linked to physically marking documents issued by other member states. During inspections, the updated approach should make it easier to verify whether a ban is active without relying on physical notations.
For carriers, the change comes alongside broader policy measures affecting drivers and cross-border compliance in Germany. See also: drivers.
