How to find us in Cologne:
Bundesamt für
Güterverkehr
Federal Office for Goods Transport
Federal Office for Goods Transport
Werderstraße 34
50672 Cologne
Phone 02 21 / 57 76 – 0
Fax 02 21 / 57 76 – 17 77
P.O. Box 19 01 80
50498 Cologne
[email protected]
www.bag.bund.de
Roadside Checks
Federal Office for Goods Transport
List of Addresses
Roadside Checks by the
Federal Office for Goods Transport
As of: January 2005
Branch Offices:
Addresses:
Phone:
Fax:
Schwerin
Bleicherufer 11
19053 Schwerin
0385 / 5 91 41 - 0
0385 / 5 91 41 - 290
Hannover
Goseriede 6
30159 Hannover
0511 / 12 60 74 - 0
0511 / 12 60 74 - 66
Münster
Grevener Straße 129
48159 Münster
0251 / 5 34 05 - 0
0251 / 5 34 05 - 99
Erfurt
Bahnhofstraße 37
99084 Erfurt
0361 / 6 64 89 - 0
0361 / 6 64 89 - 66
Dresden
Bernhardstraße 62
01187 Dresden
0351 / 8 79 96 - 0
0351 / 8 79 96 - 90
Mainz
Rheinstraße 4 B
55116 Mainz
06131 / 1 46 72 - 0
06131 / 1 46 72 - 75
Stuttgart
Schloßstraße 49
70174 Stuttgart
0711 / 61 55 57 - 0
0711 / 61 55 57 - 88
Munich
Winzererstraße 52
80797 Munich
089 / 1 26 03 - 0
089 / 1 26 03 - 321
Kiel
Willestraße 5-7
24103 Kiel
0431 / 9 82 77 - 0
0431 / 9 82 77 – 88
or - 89
Bremen
Bürgermeister-Smidt-Str. 55-61
28195 Bremen
0421 / 1 60 82 - 0
0421 / 1 60 82 - 55
Saarbrücken
Mainzer Straße 32-34
66111 Saarbrücken
0681 / 9 67 02 - 0
0681 / 9 67 02 - 90
The Federal Office wishes you a
safe journey!
The Federal Office for Goods Transport (BAG) is a higher federal authority
in the area of responsibility of the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building
and Housing and discharges a host of tasks related to the transport of
goods by road. A visible advertisement for the Cologne-based authority are
the roadside checks it carries out.
Conducting more than six hundred thousand checks on lorries and
buses a year, the BAG supervisors make a major contribution to
increasing safety on Germany's roads. They regularly detect
infringements of regulations, notably vehicle driver regulations
concerning aspects such as driving and rest periods. This
information leaflet is intended to provide vehicle drivers an overview
of provisions and help to reduce the number of infringements.
The Federal Office supervisors are authorised to stop German and
foreign goods vehicles for the purpose of checking them. During
mobile checks, drivers are beckoned to proceed to the nearest
parking lot, while stationary checks are performed at parking areas
on federal motorways. Checks are also conducted on highways and
ordinary roads.
Checks are often performed in co-operation with other authorities
such as the police, the customs and the trade supervision authority.
Cross-border co-operation is also of special importance. So the
Federal Office for Goods Transport cooperates at international level
with other authorities, especially with the supervising authorities of
the countries neighbouring Germany.
You will find further information on the work of the Federal Office for
Goods Transport – not only on roadside checks - on the internet
under www.bag.bund.de. You can also contact staff at the 11
branch offices of the Federal Office. You will find the addresses at
the end of the leaflet.
During goods vehicle checks, supervisors focus on
-
the official documents required to be carried on the vehicle under
the Road Haulage Act (license, accompanying documents, record of
liability insurance for damages of the transported goods),
-
the control equipment, record sheets and/or printouts of digital
control equipment as well as other mandatory records of working
hours,
-
compliance with certain provisions of the law governing the right of
residence, work permits and social security,
-
dimensions, axle loads and total weights as well as cargo securing
means and the technical condition of tractors, trailers and vehicle
combinations,
-
compliance with the provisions governing the transport of dangerous
goods,
-
compliance with certain provisions of the Motor Vehicle Tax Act and
the Turnover Tax Act,
-
compliance with provisions of the International Convention for Safe
Containers,
-
compliance with certain provisions of the law on food products and
wine,
-
compliance the certain provisions of the law on waste,
-
compliance with noise limits and limits for pollutants in exhaust
emissions of goods vehicles.
Dangerous goods provisions
The transportation of dangerous goods by road requires special
documents to be carried on the vehicle. The documents required
depend of the mode of transport or vehicle concerned and include:
-
the transportation document,
-
written instructions (accident instruction sheets),
-
the driver’s training certificate,
-
a description of the route for transports of extremely dangerous
goods,
The Federal Office informs the competent authorities of any
infringement of road traffic, animal transport and social welfare
legislation.
-
Whenever discrepancies or deficiencies are detected, supervisors take
action in accordance with the type and severity of the violation
concerned: They prepare check records, demand bail – from foreign
drivers - issue cautions. Whenever they detect serious violations of
certain safety regulations, they prohibit drivers from continuing their
journeys.
Depending on the type and quantity of the goods transported and the
vehicle used, the transport units must be equipped with danger plates,
placards, fire extinguishers, protective equipment and self-standing
warning signs and the vehicles must meet certain technical
requirements.
The payment of toll charges levied under the Federal Motorway Toll
Act on is controlled by toll control personnel of the Federal Office for
Goods Transport.
licenses, for example for tank lorries, demountable tank and tank
battery carrier vehicles as well as EX II and III vehicles.
Provisions for Road Haulage
For transports subject to the provisions of the Road Haulage Act, the following documents must be carried:
Mode of Transport
Permit / EU License
/ Approval
Log Book
Accompanying
Document or other
Certificate 1)
Permit or EU license
no
yes
EU license
no
yes
Commercial Road Haulage
Inland transport 2)
Companies based in the
Federal Republic of
Germany
International transport to
- EU / EEA states and Switzerland (CH)
- CEMT member states
- third states (except CH)
Combined transport
Own-account transport
3)
CEMT approval
yes
yes
permit
no
yes
no
but record of occupational
qualification and entitlement to
market access
no
yes
and record of combined
transport
no
no
no
Commercial Road Haulage
Inland transport 2) by
Companies based
- companies from EU/EEA states
EU license4)
no
yes
abroad
- companies from third states
not permitted
-
-
EU license
no
Cross-border transport by
- companies from EU / EEA states
- companies from CEMT member states
- companies from third states (except CH)
- companies from CH
Combined transport
Own-account transport
1)
2)
3)
4)
3)
yes
CEMT approval
yes
third state approval or transit
license for companies from RO or
BG
if specified in the
approval
yes
Swiss license
no
yes
Special provisions granting certain easing apply.
The same provisions as for inland transport apply.
Accompanying documents or other certificate must contain information on the transported goods, loading and unloading places and the customer.
For inland transport, valid certification of a liability insurance covering damages to the transported goods must be carried.
Not applicable for removal transport under CEMT removal approval
Not currently applicable for companies from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary.
yes
Provisions for vehicle drivers
Maximum permissible
dimensions, axle loads
and gross weights
Width
2.55 m
Width of refrigerated vehicles with
specified body wall thickness
2.60 m
Height
4.00 m
Length
-
-
Single vehicle
(except semitrailers)
12.00 m
Articulated vehicle
for vehicles with
semitrailers not exceeding
maximum permissible partial
lengths
15.50 m
Tractor-trailer combination
for combinations of
one tractor and one trailer
not exceeding specified
maximum permissible partial
lengths
18.00 m
16.50 m
Single axle load
- not driven
- driven
-
tractor
trailer
Triple axle load
depending on axle distance
11.5 – 19.0 t
11.0 – 20.0 t
Item
Control Equipment and Graphs
Break in driving period
At least 45 minutes after 4 1/2 hours at the latest
This break can be split into 3 periods of at least 15 min
Tractors and trailers with
up to two axles
-
Vehicles with more than two axles
-
-
-
-
18.0 t
24.0 t
Vehicles with more than
three axles
32.0 t
Vehicle combinations with
up to three axles
28.0 t
If there are two drivers: 8 hours within a period of 30
hours
Weekly rest period
Vehicle combinations with
four axles
- Tractor trailer combination
(2-axle tractor + 2-axle trailer)
36.0 t
- Tractor- trailer train
36.0 – 38.0 t
Vehicle combinations
(tractor-trailer combinations and
articulated vehicles)
with more than four axles
Minimum of 11 hours
This period can be reduced to 9 hours 3 times a
week, but the reduction must be made up by the end
of the following week – or
12 hours if it is split into two or three periods, one of
which must be at least 8 hours, within a period of 24
hours.
25.0 – 26.0 t
trailers
Maximum of 9 hours
This period can be increased to 10 hours twice a
week.
Daily rest period
-
tractors
(depending on the
design)
Daily driving period
21.0 – 24.0 t
Gross weight *)
•
18.75 m
According to EU Regulations and the European Agreement
concerning the work of vehicle drivers engaged in international
road transport (AETR), the following provisions apply:
Tandem axle load depending on axle distance
•
-
10.0 t
11.5 t
The aim of these provisions is to improve road safety and
occupational safety of the drivers. Eventually they regulate
competition on the market. The provisions apply both for employed
and self-employed drivers.
40.0 t
*) Regulations for single axle loads and single
vehicles must be observed
The list does not include special regulations.
Minimum of 45 hours, including a daily rest period.
It can be reduced as follows:
- 36 hours at driver’s location or place of residence
- 24 hours at other locations
Driving period between two
weekly rest periods
Maximum of 56 hours
Driving period within two
successive weeks
Maximum of 90 hours
Working hour records to be
carried on the vehicle
Record sheets or printouts for the current week and
the last working day of the week before produced by
the digital control equipment and/or driver’s card.
In certain cases, national regulations apply instead of EU regulations and AETR.