If you’re driving cross-border in the EU, the Posting of Workers Directive means you must be paid at least the host country’s minimum wage for the time you spend working there. Deliver in France for a day, and for that day you’re owed the French minimum rate — not your home country’s lower rate. This rule applies to most international transport work under the Mobility Package, and if your employer isn’t paying it, they’re breaking the law and you can claim the difference.
Here’s how the posting rules actually work, when they apply to you, and how to check you’re getting paid what you’re owed.
What Posting Actually Means for a Driver
The Posting of Workers Directive (96/71/EC, updated by 2018/957) says that when a worker is “posted” temporarily to another EU country, they must receive that country’s core employment conditions — including its minimum wage, overtime rates, and rest rules.
For transport, the specifics were nailed down by the Mobility Package rules that came into force in February 2022 (Directive 2020/1057). This directive decides which of your driving tasks count as “posting” and which don’t. That distinction is what determines your pay.
The core principle: you get the host country’s rate for the work done in that country. If you’re a Polish driver earning your Polish base, and you spend two days doing deliveries inside Germany, those two days should be paid at German rates. Your employer tops up the difference.
Which Journeys Count — and Which Don’t
Not every kilometre triggers posting rules. The Mobility Package split transport into clear categories, and this is where most drivers get confused about their pay.
Exempt from posting (home rate applies)
- Bilateral transport — carrying goods from your employer’s country to another country, or back. A German-registered operator sending you from Germany to Italy and back: not posting.
- Transit — driving through a country without loading or unloading there. Passing through Austria to reach Slovenia doesn’t make you posted in Austria.
Covered by posting (host rate applies)
- Cabotage — domestic transport inside a country where your vehicle isn’t registered. Every cabotage operation triggers posting from day one. If you’re doing three loads inside France with a Romanian truck, you’re posted in France for that work. Check the limits in our guide to cabotage rules in Europe.
- Cross-trade (third-country) transport — moving goods between two countries, neither of which is where your employer is based. A Bulgarian operator running a load from Spain to France: you’re posted.
The logic: bilateral and transit are seen as part of the international movement of goods, so your home contract governs. Cabotage and cross-trade are treated as work “in” the host market, so that market’s wage floor applies.
Real Wage Differences You’re Owed
The gap between the lowest and highest EU minimum wages is huge, which is exactly why this matters for your bank account. Here’s a rough picture of gross monthly minimum wages in 2025.
| Country | Monthly gross minimum (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Luxembourg | €2,570 |
| Netherlands | €2,190 |
| Germany | €2,161 |
| Belgium | €2,070 |
| France | €1,802 |
| Spain | €1,323 |
| Poland | €1,090 |
| Romania | €810 |
For transport, many countries also have sector-specific collective agreements that set higher rates than the national minimum. France’s transport sector agreement and Germany’s rules can push the applicable hourly rate above the headline figure. Germany’s general minimum wage is €12.82 per hour in 2025 — and every hour you work inside Germany on cabotage or cross-trade must hit that floor.
Say you’re a Romanian driver doing regular cross-trade work between the Netherlands and Belgium. The pay difference between your Romanian rate and Dutch/Belgian rates can be several hundred euros a month. That’s real money your employer is legally obliged to pay. See the full breakdown in our country-by-country minimum wage guide.
What Your Employer Must Do — and What You Must Carry
Posting isn’t just about wages. Your employer has legal duties, and you carry proof of them in the cab.
Before a posting, the operator must submit a declaration through the IMI (Internal Market Information) system. This tells the host country’s authorities that you’re posted there. Roadside inspectors can ask for it.
You must be able to show, either in the cab or accessible digitally:
- The posting declaration (via IMI)
- Tachograph records proving where you drove and when
- CMR waybills showing the loading and unloading points
Your tachograph data is the backbone of enforcement — it shows exactly which country you worked in on which day. Keep it clean and accurate; see our tachograph rules 2026 guide. The CMR waybill proves the route, so fill it out properly — our CMR waybill guide covers the details.
If a control officer in France asks for your posting declaration and it isn’t in the IMI system, the fine falls on your employer — but you’re the one stuck at the roadside sorting it out. Ask your dispatcher to confirm declarations are filed before you cross.
Fines and Enforcement by Country
Member states enforce posting rules with their own penalty regimes, and some are aggressive. These fines hit the operator, but non-compliance also often means you weren’t paid correctly.
- France — up to €4,000 per posted worker for missing declarations, doubling to €8,000 for repeat offences. France runs frequent roadside checks on the A6, A7 and A31 corridors.
- Germany — the customs authority (Zoll) enforces the Mindestlohn. Underpaying below the minimum wage can trigger fines up to €500,000.
- Austria — wage dumping penalties run into the thousands per worker and Austrian authorities are known for tough enforcement in the Tyrol.
- Belgium and the Netherlands — active inspection regimes with penalties per worker and per missing document.
The point for you: if the state can fine your employer for underpaying you, that same state’s rate is what you’re legally owed. If it’s not showing up in your payslip, something is wrong.
How to Check You’re Getting Paid Right
Most drivers never audit their own posting pay, which is exactly how underpayment slips through. Do this:
- Track your work by country. Your tachograph already logs it. Note which days involved cabotage or cross-trade — those trigger the host rate.
- Match against your payslip. Look for a posting top-up line. Some employers itemise it; others fold it into a bonus. If you did cabotage in Germany and see no adjustment, ask.
- Compare rates. Use the host country’s transport-sector minimum, not just the national one. France and Germany both have higher sector rates.
- Keep records. Save your tachograph downloads, CMRs and payslips. If you need to dispute pay later, this is your evidence.
If the numbers don’t add up, raise it with your employer first, in writing. If that fails, you can pursue it — our guide on disputing unpaid wages as a truck driver walks through the steps. For the wider picture of what the law guarantees you, read your rights as a truck driver in the EU.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Posting Directive affect my daily allowance or per diem?
Posting covers the minimum wage and core conditions for the work done in the host country, but per diems are separate and governed by your contract and home-country tax rules. Some countries let employers count parts of an allowance toward the minimum wage, but only if it’s genuine wage and not reimbursement for costs. Read our per diem guide to keep the two separate.
Am I posted when I just drive through a country?
No. Transit — driving through a country without loading or unloading — is exempt from posting rules. You’re only posted when you do cabotage or cross-trade work, or in some limited cross-border cases. Passing through Austria on your way to Italy does not make you posted in Austria.
