Cabotage is the carriage of goods within an EU member state by a carrier not established in that country, following an incoming international delivery. In practice: a foreign haulier who, having unloaded the international shipment, performs domestic transport in the country of arrival before returning home.
The limits
Regulation (EC) No 1072/2009, as amended by the EU Mobility Package, keeps cabotage temporary with three rules:
- after an incoming international delivery, the same vehicle may carry out up to three cabotage operations, and the last unloading must take place within seven days of the last unloading of the international trip;
- once it has finished, the vehicle cannot do cabotage in the same country again for four days, the cooling-off period in force since 21 February 2022;
- the haulier must be able to prove, with documents, the international trip and every cabotage operation that followed it.
Cabotage is reserved for hire-and-reward hauliers holding a Community licence, and the driver-posting rules always apply to it.
Cabotage in Italy in numbers
In 2024 cabotage in Italy came to 2.9 billion tonne-kilometres, the third-largest volume in the EU after Germany and France. By definition it is carried out by non-resident hauliers, and almost half of the volume came from hauliers of two countries: Lithuania with 25.6% and Poland with 20.0%. In the same year, cabotage by Italian hauliers abroad fell by 27.8% compared with 2023 (Eurostat).
International haulage tells the same story. According to the Bank of Italy’s survey of international freight transport, published in June 2026, Italian hauliers carry 19.0% of the freight volume Italy imports and exports by road, down from 36.1% in 2004.
Why it matters for fleets
Cabotage is one of the areas that triggers stricter obligations, including use of the smart tachograph G2V2 on light vehicles from 2026. For practical cases on vans and own-account transport, see the guide on cabotage, own-account and occasional trips.
FAQ
What’s the difference between cabotage and international transport?
International transport links two different countries; cabotage is transport within one country carried out by a carrier from another country, following an international delivery.
Does cabotage trigger the tachograph obligation on vans?
Yes: cabotage operations for hire and reward are among the cases that, from 1 July 2026, require the G2V2 on vehicles over 2.5 t up to 3.5 t.
Who is allowed to do cabotage?
Only a hire-and-reward haulier holding a Community licence, whose non-EU drivers must also hold a driver attestation. Since 21 May 2022 the licence has been required for vans over 2.5 t as well.
How much cabotage takes place in Italy?
According to Eurostat, cabotage in Italy came to 2.9 billion tonne-kilometres in 2024, almost half of it carried out by Lithuanian and Polish hauliers. Italy is the EU’s third-largest cabotage market, after Germany and France.