How to start a trucking company in Europe: the complete guide

To start a trucking company in Europe you need a registered business with a real establishment, a qualified transport manager, proof of financial standing of at least 9,000 EUR for your first vehicle, and an EU Community Licence to move goods above 3.5 tonnes across borders. The market is wide open: the IRU's 2024 report counted roughly 426,000 unfilled HGV driver positions across Europe , a gap that new carriers are well placed to fill. This guide walks through every licence, cost, document, and compliance rule you need to get a road freight business legally on the road, including the 1 July 2026 tachograph change that affects which vehicles you buy.

Road freight remains the backbone of the European economy, carrying the large majority of inland goods by volume. For an operator-minded founder, that demand is the opportunity. But the entry rules are stricter than in many other regions, and they are harmonised across the bloc, so understanding them once gives you a pathway that works whether you base your company in Poland, Romania, Spain, or Germany.

What licences do you need to start a trucking company in Europe?

Two pieces of EU law set the entry conditions. Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009 governs access to the occupation of road transport operator, and Regulation (EC) No 1072/2009 governs access to the international haulage market through the Community Licence.

Under Regulation 1071/2009, any company carrying goods for hire or reward with vehicles above 3.5 tonnes must satisfy four criteria, confirmed by the European Commission's access-to-profession rules :

• Effective and stable establishment — a real operating centre in a member state, not a letterbox, with at least one vehicle operationally based there.
• Good repute — no serious criminal convictions and no disqualification from running a transport business for the operator and the transport manager.
• Financial standing — capital and reserves available every accounting year.
• Professional competence — a transport manager who holds a Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC).

Meet all four, and your national competent authority issues an operator licence. To run international journeys, that licence is paired with the Community Licence. Note that since February 2023 the operator-licence obligation has also applied to vehicles between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes used in international transport, so even a light van fleet crossing borders needs to be licensed.

EU Community Licence vs national licence: which one do you need?

The right authorisation depends on where and how you intend to haul. The EU Community Licence is the document that unlocks cross-border work; a national-only permit keeps you inside one country; and own-account transport (moving your own goods) sits outside the hire-or-reward regime entirely. The table below compares the three.

The Community Licence itself is issued by your member state of establishment. You receive one original, which you keep at the office, plus one certified true copy for every vehicle in your fleet — that copy must travel in the cab. If you later add trucks, you request more certified copies. This per-vehicle copy structure is set out directly in Regulation 1072/2009.

For most founders chasing the cross-border demand behind the driver shortage, the Community Licence is the goal. A national-only licence makes sense if your plan is purely domestic distribution, and own-account transport is relevant only if hauling is incidental to another business, such as a manufacturer delivering its own products.

What does a transport manager do, and do you need one?

Yes — if you operate above the light-vehicle thresholds for hire or reward, a transport manager is mandatory. This person is legally responsible for the continuous and effective management of your transport operations: vehicle maintenance, drivers' hours, contracts, tachograph records, and overall compliance. They must hold a Certificate of Professional Competence and meet the good-repute test.

You can be your own transport manager if you pass the CPC, or you can appoint an external one. The CPC is earned by passing an examination based on the IRU's manager competence syllabus , which covers civil law, commercial law, social law, fiscal law, business and financial management, market access, technical standards, and road safety. Most candidates study for three to six months. In most member states the qualification does not expire once obtained.

If you do not intend to sit the exam yourself, budget for a transport manager's salary or a part-time external arrangement from day one. Many new carriers also hire a freight dispatcher early to keep trucks loaded while the transport manager focuses on compliance. And if you plan to drive yourself, you will separately need to get your driver CPC licence , which is a different qualification from the manager CPC.

Step by step: setting up your haulage business in the EU

The exact paperwork varies by country, but the sequence is consistent across the bloc.

1. Register the company. Incorporate in your chosen member state and set up a real operating centre with parking for at least one vehicle. The establishment must be genuine — the Mobility Package requires actual and continuous operations in the country of registration.
2. Secure your transport manager. Either pass the CPC yourself or appoint a qualified manager who agrees to take legal responsibility.
3. Prove financial standing. Demonstrate the required capital (see the cost section below) via accounts, a bank guarantee, or professional liability insurance.
4. Pass the good-repute check. Submit criminal-record and disqualification declarations for the operator and the transport manager.
5. Apply for the operator licence and Community Licence. Lodge the application with your national competent authority. Processing times vary, but expect several weeks to a few months.
6. Acquire and register vehicles. Choose vehicles that meet 2026 tachograph rules (covered below) and insure them.
7. Set up compliance systems. Tachograph data handling, maintenance scheduling, and drivers' hours monitoring should be running before your first paid load.

A practical tip: build your back office before you build your fleet. New carriers that treat compliance as an afterthought are the ones that get stopped, fined, or have their licence reviewed.

How much does it cost to start a trucking company in Europe?

Startup costs split into the regulatory minimum and the real operating capital you need to survive the first months. The regulatory floor is set by financial standing. Under Regulation 1071/2009, you must show capital and reserves of at least 9,000 EUR for the first vehicle and 5,000 EUR for each additional vehicle, available in every accounting year. This is not a fee — it is proof that your business can launch and run without immediately going insolvent.

On top of that, plan for the assets themselves:

• Vehicle. A used HGV in the 7.5–12t range typically runs 15,000–40,000 EUR. A new tractor unit (18–44t) costs roughly 100,000–160,000 EUR.
• Insurance. Third-party liability for a single HGV commonly runs 3,000–8,000 EUR per year, before goods-in-transit and other cover.
• Fuel. Diesel costs are roughly 0.30–0.45 EUR per kilometre on EU averages, and fuel is usually the single largest variable cost.
• Licensing, registration, and the CPC exam. Administrative fees are modest by comparison but vary by country.

These cost ranges are indicative benchmarks based on industry data from carriers and equipment suppliers across Western and Central Europe; your actual figures will depend on vehicle age, country of registration, and load mix. Before you quote a single load, learn to calculate your freight cost per kilometre so your rates actually cover those numbers. When diesel moves, you should also add a fuel surcharge to your rates rather than absorbing the volatility yourself. Underpricing is the most common way new carriers run out of cash.

What vehicles, insurance, and equipment do you need in 2026?

Vehicle choice in 2026 is shaped by one decisive compliance change. From 1 July 2026, the EU Mobility Package extends second-generation smart tachograph (G2V2) obligations to light commercial vehicles above 2.5 tonnes used in international transport, as set out by the European Commission and explained in plain terms by Geotab . The G2V2 unit automatically records border crossings and loading or unloading events, and the same driving and rest-time rules apply.

The practical takeaway for a new carrier: if you are buying vans in the 2.5–3.5t band for cross-border work, make sure they are equipped with a compliant G2V2 tachograph from the start rather than retrofitting later. For HGVs above 3.5 tonnes, the smart tachograph rollout is already further advanced, with retrofit phases having concluded for heavy-duty vehicles .

Beyond the tachograph, your equipment baseline includes valid roadworthiness, appropriate insurance (third-party liability plus goods-in-transit, often CMR cover for international loads — CMR being the convention governing carrier liability for international road freight), and ADR equipment if you intend to carry dangerous goods (ADR is the European agreement on the international carriage of dangerous goods by road). Match the vehicle to the work: lighter rigid trucks for regional distribution, articulated units for long-haul full-truckload runs.

How do you find your first loads as a new carrier?

A licensed, insured truck earns nothing while it is parked. Securing freight is the difference between a viable business and an expensive hobby. New carriers typically combine three channels: direct contracts with shippers, subcontracting from larger hauliers and freight forwarders, and digital freight exchanges where loads are posted in real time.

Decide early whether you will chase full-truckload work or consolidate smaller consignments — the economics differ, and choosing between FTL and LTL loads shapes your routing, pricing, and which customers you target. To run any of these channels efficiently, you will want to choose transport management software that tracks loads, documents, and compliance in one place instead of spreadsheets.

Remember the cabotage limits when you plan return legs. Under Regulation 1072/2009, after an inbound international delivery a Community Licence holder may carry out up to three cabotage operations — domestic transport inside the host country — within seven days. After the seven-day window, a mandatory four-day cooling-off period applies before further cabotage may begin in the same member state (Regulation (EU) 2020/1054). Cabotage is the right of a foreign carrier to operate domestic transport within an EU member state, and overstepping the limit is a frequent and costly enforcement target.

Common mistakes that sink new haulage businesses in Europe

The failures are predictable. Underpricing loads because cost-per-kilometre was never calculated. Treating the establishment requirement casually — the Mobility Package requires carriers to run genuine, continuous operations from their country of registration, and enforcement bodies can and do challenge paper-only registrations. Skipping the transport manager and assuming compliance will sort itself out. Buying a cheap van for cross-border work without checking the 2026 tachograph requirement. And running with thin cash reserves, so a single late-paying customer triggers a crisis.

Each of these is avoidable with planning. The carriers that last are the ones that treat licensing, compliance, and pricing as the core of the business, not as bureaucracy to be minimised.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to get an EU Community Licence?

Processing times vary by member state, but most applicants should plan for several weeks to a few months from a complete submission. The licence is issued by your national competent authority once you have proven establishment, good repute, financial standing, and a qualified transport manager. The longest lead item is usually the transport manager CPC if you do not yet hold it.

Do I need a transport manager to start a trucking company in Europe?

Yes. If you carry goods for hire or reward above the light-vehicle thresholds, Regulation 1071/2009 requires a transport manager who holds a Certificate of Professional Competence and meets the good-repute test. You can be your own transport manager by passing the CPC exam, or you can appoint a qualified external manager who takes legal responsibility for compliance.

What is the minimum capital required to start a haulage business in Europe?

The regulatory minimum for financial standing is 9,000 EUR for your first vehicle and 5,000 EUR for each additional vehicle, available in every accounting year. This is proof of capital, not a fee. Realistically you also need funds for the vehicle, insurance, fuel, and several months of running costs before invoices are paid.

Can I operate cabotage with a new EU Community Licence?

Yes, within limits. After completing an inbound international delivery, a Community Licence holder may perform up to three cabotage (domestic) operations in the host member state within seven days. Exceeding those limits is a common enforcement target and can lead to fines, so plan return legs carefully.

What tachograph does a new van fleet need in 2026?

From 1 July 2026, light commercial vehicles above 2.5 tonnes used in international transport must be fitted with a second-generation smart tachograph (G2V2). If you are buying vans for cross-border work, specify a compliant unit from the outset rather than retrofitting later, and remember that EU driving and rest-time rules apply to these vehicles too.

Starting a road freight business in Europe is demanding but achievable, and the demand is real. When you are ready to turn a licence into loads, join Logifie as a carrier and start connecting your trucks with freight across the continent.