EU crackdown: more stops and tougher checks for hauliers

EU transport ministers have agreed their position on a major overhaul of the bloc’s roadworthiness rules, introducing tougher roadside checks for heavy vehicles, more advanced emissions testing and fully digital roadworthiness documents.

The reform package updates the rules on periodic technical inspections (PTI), technical roadside inspections (RSI) for commercial vehicles and vehicle registration documents. It aims to improve road safety, detect high-emitting vehicles and modernise enforcement in line with technological developments, according to the European Commission and the Council of the EU.

The Council’s “general approach”, adopted on 4 December 2025, now forms the basis for negotiations with the European Parliament. The final law may still change during trilogue negotiations, the Council adds.

Load securing becomes a standard part of every roadside check

Load securing will be checked more systematically under the revised RSI Directive.

According to the Council, “securing of cargo is crucial for road safety”, and a visual assessment of load securing should become a mandatory part of every initial roadside inspection in all Member States. The updated rules require inspectors to examine the latest PTI certificate, visually assess the vehicle’s technical condition, and assess how the cargo has been secured during every initial RSI.

Following this initial check, inspectors determine whether the vehicle should undergo a more detailed roadside inspection, including a dedicated cargo-securing assessment. The Council text introduces a new Article 13 stating that detailed inspections must follow Annex III, ensuring the cargo cannot interfere with safe driving or pose a risk to life, health, property or the environment, including during sudden manoeuvres or uphill starts.

In practice, this means cargo securing, already a safety obligation, will now be explicitly and consistently verified across the EU.

More roadside inspections for trucks and vans

The Council wants to ensure a minimum level of heavy-vehicle inspections in every Member State.

Under the updated RSI rules, each country must carry out initial roadside inspections each year corresponding to at least 5% of all heavy commercial vehicles registered in its territory. Heavy vehicles include N2 and N3 trucks as well as O3 and O4 trailers.

For N1 vans, Member States must conduct initial inspections equivalent to at least 10% of the number of heavy-vehicle inspections. Vans may be exempt from RSI if they are already subject to annual PTI starting in their second year, the Council notes.

The rules also strengthen risk-based selection. Vehicles operated by undertakings with a high-risk rating, based on previous PTI and RSI findings, should be prioritised for checks, according to the Council. Operators with repeated technical deficiencies can therefore expect more frequent inspections.

More advanced emissions testing for diesel and petrol trucks

The revision addresses concerns that current PTI and RSI tests do not sufficiently detect high-emitting vehicles, particularly for NOx and particulate matter emissions.

According to the Commission, road transport remains a major source of air pollution, and new testing methods are needed to identify “gross emitters” more effectively.

The updated annexes to the PTI and RSI directives introduce:

Particle number (PN) testing for petrol and diesel vehicles
NOx measurements for both diesel and petrol engines

The Commission will be empowered to set the exact test methods, Euro classes and limit values through implementing acts. According to the Council text, inspection facilities must be ready to use these new tests within 4 years of the adoption of the implementing acts.

This means hauliers can expect more sophisticated exhaust checks during both periodic inspections and roadside checks.

Remote sensing: screening for high emitters

Remote sensing technology, already used in some EU countries, will gain a formal role in the roadworthiness framework.

In its original legislative proposal, the Commission suggested that Member States should use remote sensing to screen at least 30% of their vehicle fleet for excessive exhaust emissions and noise. However, the Council’s general approach makes this measure optional rather than mandatory.

According to the Council, Member States may use remote sensing to:

Screen vehicles for air pollutants and noise
Select vehicles for roadside inspections
Identify potentially high-emitting vehicles that should be referred to a PTI centre

Remote sensing results alone cannot be used to declare a vehicle unroadworthy; they serve only as a screening tool. The Commission may adopt further rules on common methodologies and limit values once Member States report sufficient remote-sensing data.

This means hauliers operating in some Member States may receive requests to present vehicles for PTI after being flagged by roadside emission sensors.

Digital PTI certificates and electronic roadside evidence

A central feature of the reform is the digitalisation of PTI and RSI documentation.

According to the Commission, the updated PTI Directive will introduce digital roadworthiness certificates, with harmonised content across the EU and features such as QR codes that allow inspectors to verify authenticity quickly. These certificates will replace paper forms over time.

At roadside checks, enforcement authorities will be required to accept electronic evidence of a vehicle’s PTI certificate and RSI report, according to the Council text. This means drivers can present digital documents stored on a device rather than carrying physical papers.

The Commission and Council both highlight the goal of improving cross-border data exchange so that authorities can verify registration details, PTI results and RSI history more easily. This could eventually reduce administrative burden for international hauliers and improve enforcement consistency.

What happens next?

The Council’s general approach will now be negotiated with the European Parliament under the ordinary legislative procedure. The final requirements for PTI, RSI and digital registration documents will only become binding once both institutions agree on a joint text.