The Norwegian Government says the move is intended to ensure a decent and safe working life for those working in road transport.
The new regulations concern driving and rest times for drivers, the use of tachographs in vehicles, and the rules of market access in the road transport sector, Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård said in a recent government press release.
The new regulations are part of the EU Mobility Package that was included in the EEA agreement on March 18, 2022.
“We are currently introducing changes to the rules on driving and rest times, rules on professional road transport and rules on the implementation of common rules for domestic transport in the EEA (European Economic Area) agreement. The implementation of the Mobility Package will be an important part of the government’s future action plan against social dumping in the transport sector,” added Nygård.
Entry into force on November 1
The most important changes that will take effect on November 1 are as follows:
- Requirements for an international transport licence to operate vans over 2.5 tons. Carriers must meet the requirements regarding registration, reputation, finances and professional competence.
- The provisions on cabotage will apply to international transport for vans over 2.5 tonnes.
- The requirement for vehicles to return to their country of origin every 8 weeks.
- The requirement for transport companies to provide drivers one normal weekly rest at home during each four-week period.
- No weekly rest in the vehicle, and no remuneration based on how quickly the driver delivers the goods is allowed.
- Employers must make arrangements for the driver to go home at least once every four weeks.
- Vehicles in international transport will also have to return to the operations centre in their home country at least every 8 weeks.
- The so-called a cooling-off period of 4 days from the end of the last cabotage operation also applies.
“We are tightening the rules on cabotage. For freight, three orders can be completed in seven days as before, but after the last order, there will be a “cooling off period” of four days during which foreign vehicles will not be allowed to conduct cabotage in Norway,” says Nygård.
Important changes from 2026
The Norwegian government also approved the introduction of further changes resulting from the Mobility Package. They are to enter into force only in 2026. These include:
- introducing the rules of driving and rest times in international transport with delivery vehicles with a permissible total weight of 2.5 to 3.5 tons;
- introducing the requirement to have a tachograph for international transport with delivery vehicles with a maximum permissible weight of 2.5 to 3.5 tonnes.