Last week, police across the country carried out coordinated checks on heavy goods vehicles. The highest number of violations was recorded in the Helsingborg region, where officers detected both serious technical defects and breaches of driving and rest time rules.
Weekly rest in cabins still widespread
During inspections in Helsingborg, officers checked 370 trucks: 254 registered in Sweden, 108 from other EU countries, and eight from outside the EU. Deficiencies were identified in 16 vehicles, including three cases so serious that onward travel was prohibited.
The checks also uncovered ten cases of overloaded trucks (over 12.5 tonnes) and two violations of load-securing regulations. Three ADR offences were recorded, including missing mandatory fire extinguishers. The majority of breaches, however, involved drivers’ hours: irregularities related to driving and rest times were found in 128 cases.
Over a million kronor in fines – mostly for cabin rest
According to the Helsingborg police, 95% of the sanctions issued to foreign carriers were for weekly rest taken in the cabin. The total value of fines reached 1,030,000 kronor, demonstrating that illegal weekly rest remains widespread.
In addition, 14 trucks were immobilised with wheel clamps. They were only permitted to continue their journeys once fines were paid or technical defects were rectified.
Joint enforcement and additional penalties
The Swedish Work Environment Authority also took part in checks around Ängelholm. This cooperation resulted in an additional 175,000 kronor in fines for breaches related to safety and working conditions.
The enforcement operation shows that Swedish authorities are stepping up action on driver rest rules and transport safety — and that carriers violating the regulations face substantial financial consequences.
