Every border crossing could be sent to a central EU database under new proposal

Hauliers who regularly cross borders within the European Union could face more extensive digital monitoring in the future. The BGL wants border crossings recorded by the smart tachograph to be transmitted automatically to a central European database for analysis.

The proposal forms part of an eight-page position paper on a possible EU ‘Transport Omnibus’. Dated 4 September 2026, the document covers several European regulations and would therefore affect transport companies well beyond Germany.

For now, these are only proposals from the BGL. The European Commission has neither adopted the suggested changes nor presented them as a legislative proposal.

If any of the recommendations are taken forward, however, international road freight operators and drivers could see significant changes to the way cross-border transport is monitored.

Border crossings could be analysed centrally

Smart Tacho 2 already records border crossings automatically. The proposed change concerns where that information would be sent and how it would be assessed.

Under the BGL model, second-generation smart tachographs would transmit recorded border crossings automatically to an information system operated by the European Commission. The relevant authorities in EU member states would receive direct electronic access.

The planned analysis would go beyond simply storing the data. The system could generate risk alerts if a vehicle spent unusually long periods in another member state, returned there repeatedly or showed patterns that raised questions under cabotage, posting or establishment rules.

For a haulier whose vehicles routinely operate across several EU countries, this would represent a major change. Border data could be assessed over longer transport cycles and used to select vehicles for inspection.

The BGL is calling for an amendment to EU Tachograph Regulation 165/2014. Its proposal says the transmitted data should be used solely to enforce EU road transport rules.

The position paper does not specify how long the data would be stored, which authorities would have access to it or how data protection requirements would be implemented.

A second EU system for roadside inspections

The association is also proposing a separate information system that would be interoperable across the EU.

This would allow inspectors to retrieve information directly from national registers. The proposed data set includes driving licences, driver qualifications, driver cards and tachograph records, vehicle inspection information, ADR training certificates and the risk ratings of transport operators.

For example, an authority conducting a roadside inspection abroad could request the necessary records electronically from the driver’s or operator’s home country.

The BGL says this could shorten inspections and promote more consistent enforcement of European rules. The paper does not establish whether, or to what extent, inspections would actually become faster.

Loading and unloading would be recorded in greater detail

Another proposal would have a direct impact on drivers.

The BGL wants the law to require drivers to record the start and end of every loading, unloading or combined loading and unloading operation using the smart tachograph.

Smart Tacho 2 devices already include the relevant functions. The proposed change would introduce an explicit legal duty to record when each operation begins and ends.

This would create additional information about when and where a vehicle was actually loaded or unloaded. On international transport routes, those records could be combined with existing border-crossing and location data.

For drivers, the measure would also mean more mandatory entries on the tachograph.

New proof requirement for weekly rest

Regular weekly rest is also included in the BGL’s proposals.

EU law already prohibits drivers from taking their regular weekly rest in the vehicle. The association now wants drivers or transport operators to provide suitable evidence during an inspection that the rest period was taken outside the vehicle.

The proposal does not say which documents would be accepted. Under the BGL’s model, the European Commission could define the permitted forms of evidence at a later stage.

For drivers working in international long-haul transport, this would create an additional obligation. They would need to demonstrate not only that the weekly rest requirement was met, but also where the rest was taken.

Posting declarations should show actual assignment periods

The BGL also wants more precise posting declarations for drivers.

A single declaration can currently cover a period of up to six months. Under the proposal, it would have to list the specific planned posting periods in each host country during that time.

If additional assignments subject to posting rules were added later, the declaration would need to be amended or updated.

For international operators, the change would have two consequences. Authorities could more easily determine whether a driver was carrying out an activity subject to posting rules at the time of an inspection. Hauliers, meanwhile, would have to keep their declarations more closely aligned with actual assignments.

Driver qualification: recognition across borders

The second major part of the BGL paper focuses on professional driver qualifications.

The association estimates that Europe is short of almost 500,000 drivers. Against that backdrop, it is proposing changes intended to make access to the profession and continuing training more flexible. This figure is the BGL’s own estimate.

One proposal with clear implications for the European labour market is the right to choose where to complete continuing training. Under the BGL model, drivers could complete mandatory training in any EU member state, regardless of where they work or where they originally obtained their qualification.

Recognised non-EU countries could also be included.

The BGL further proposes recognising initial qualifications and continuing training completed in third countries when their standards for road safety, course content, examinations, quality assurance and fraud prevention are comparable with European requirements.

That could be particularly relevant to operators employing or recruiting drivers from outside the EU.

Full e-learning and more examination languages

The format of continuing training would also change.

The required 35 hours over five years could, under the proposal, be completed in modules lasting at least two hours.

The association also wants continuing training to be permitted entirely through e-learning.

For theory examinations, candidates would be allowed to choose a language in which they have sufficient proficiency. The BGL is also calling for standardised questions that can be assessed objectively, as well as the possibility of a harmonised EU-wide question catalogue.

For driver workforces made up of multiple nationalities, the rules on examination languages, training locations and recognition of foreign qualifications would be especially significant.

Experienced drivers could be exempt from further training

The BGL is also proposing a broad exemption for long-serving professional drivers.

Anyone who has worked professionally as a driver for more than ten years and completed the required continuing training twice could be permanently exempted from further regular training. The relevant Union code 95 or driver qualification card would remain valid indefinitely for these drivers.

A separate proposal would address short-term labour shortages.

Member states could be allowed to let people with an existing driver qualification continue or resume work for up to 90 days after their continuing-training certificate had expired.

The BGL mentions retirees and other temporary workers as examples. Qualifications gained through service in the armed forces, police, fire services, civil protection or recognised emergency services could also be taken into account for a limited period of civilian employment, subject to certain conditions.

Could a category B licence cover vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes?

Another proposal could be particularly relevant to local and regional distribution.

The BGL wants holders of a category B driving licence to be allowed, under certain conditions, to operate vehicles weighing up to 7.5 tonnes in commercial freight transport.

The association suggests requiring the driver to have held a car licence for at least two years and to complete additional practical training. For zero-emission vehicles, the additional weight of the powertrain should also be taken into account to offset lost payload capacity.

There is currently no general right to use a category B licence to drive commercially operated vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes. This proposal would therefore require a change to European driving licence rules.

What international hauliers need to know

Although the proposals come from a German association, their potential scope is European. The planned central analysis of border crossings would be particularly relevant to operators whose vehicles regularly travel between several member states.

The same applies to possible changes involving cabotage inspections, posting declarations, weekly rest and driver qualification. Companies employing drivers from different EU and non-EU countries would also be affected by the proposed recognition of foreign qualifications, additional examination languages and the freedom to choose where training is completed.

The package would not simply reduce bureaucracy. Driver qualification rules would be loosened in some areas, while cross-border enforcement would bring new data transfers and documentation requirements.

Whether any of this becomes EU law remains uncertain. That distinction matters to both hauliers and drivers: Smart Tacho 2 and the automatic recording of border crossings are already part of the European enforcement framework. Central transmission and analysis of that data, additional proof requirements and the proposed changes to driver qualification remain demands, not new EU rules.