Workers’ rights: Germany
In Germany drivers' rights are better protected than many newcomers think. The essentials: a written contract, at least €13.90 per hour, 6 weeks of full sick pay, dismissal only in writing and with notice. Below, point by point, what the employer owes you and where to go if they do not deliver.
- Contract: on paper only
- Pay: at least €13.90 an hour and always with a payslip
- Leave and sickness
- Dismissal: in writing, with notice and 3 weeks to contest
- Fines, accidents and damage: what may be deducted from pay
- EU rules: they apply in this country too
- Where to turn
Warning signs
- Your passport or licence was taken ‘for safekeeping’.
- No written contract, or you are asked to sign something other than promised.
- Pay in cash without a payslip, or ‘minimum wage plus per diems’.
- You are asked for money for the job, the visa, a ‘deposit’, or a ‘debt’ is deducted from your pay.
- You are made to drive over the limits or on someone else’s tachograph card.
- You are threatened with deportation if you complain or quit.
None of these takes away your rights. Keep messages, photograph documents and contact the places below. A complaint does not cost you your residence permit.
Contract: on paper only
Law: Nachweisgesetz (NachwG), § 2a SchwarzArbG, § 14 TzBfG- You must receive the essential terms (pay, working time, place of work, probation) in writing no later than your first working day and the full record within a month. In freight, transport and logistics a signed paper document is still required; electronic text form is not enough (§ 2a SchwarzArbG).
- A fixed term is valid only in writing; otherwise the contract counts as permanent. Probation of no more than 6 months.
- You may ask for a translation, but sign only what you understood. Clauses like '€3,000 penalty for quitting' in the first months are usually invalid: a contractual penalty may not exceed roughly one month's salary and must be transparent.
Pay: at least €13.90 an hour and always with a payslip
Law: Mindestlohngesetz (MiLoG), § 108 GewO, § 614 BGB- The statutory minimum wage is €13.90 gross per hour from 1 January 2026 and €14.60 from 1 January 2027. It counts for every hour worked, including loading, ordered waiting and standby. Per diems and expenses do not count towards it.
- A payslip is mandatory every month. Keep payslips and your own hour records: minimum wage claims can be made up to 3 years back and cannot be waived even by signature.
- Wages are due no later than the end of the month following the one worked; most contracts set the 15th. A delay of more than a month is grounds for a written demand and a report to customs (Zoll).
- Employer housing may be deducted only at the official in-kind rates (around €290 a month for shared accommodation in 2026) and never below the protected earnings threshold.
Leave and sickness
Law: Bundesurlaubsgesetz (BUrlG), Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz (EFZG)- At least 20 working days of leave a year on a five-day week (24 on six days); logistics collective agreements usually give 26–30. Untaken leave is paid out when you leave.
- Sickness: for the first 6 weeks the employer pays 100% of your wage (after 4 weeks with the company), then the health insurer pays about 70% for up to 78 weeks. A doctor's certificate is needed from day 4 unless the contract requires it from day 1.
- Dismissal for being ill as such is not allowed; a request to 'resign yourself since you are sick' is not in your interest; sign nothing at that moment.
Dismissal: in writing, with notice and 3 weeks to contest
Law: §§ 622, 623 BGB, Kündigungsschutzgesetz (KSchG)- A dismissal is valid only on paper with a signature. Verbal, WhatsApp or email dismissals are void. Notice: 4 weeks to the 15th or the end of a month, 2 weeks during probation, longer after 2 years.
- In firms with more than 10 employees, after 6 months the Dismissal Protection Act protects you: a lawful reason is required. A claim must be filed with the labour court within 3 weeks of receiving the dismissal, or it counts as valid. No lawyer is needed in the first instance and court fees are not paid in advance.
- Register with the Agentur für Arbeit right away: after 12 months of contributions you get unemployment benefit I (about 60% net). A residence permit for employment does not lapse automatically when you lose the job: inform the Ausländerbehörde and look for a new position; usually a period is granted. Changing employer in the first years needs the Ausländerbehörde's consent; the new employer files the papers.
Fines, accidents and damage: what may be deducted from pay
Law: Innerbetrieblicher Schadensausgleich (судебная практика BAG), § 8a FPersG, §§ 850 ff. ZPO- For damage to the truck or cargo, the driver is not liable at all for slight negligence, shares liability for ordinary negligence and pays in full only for gross negligence or intent (even then courts often cap the amount). A signed 'full liability' clause does not change this.
- Fines for driving time or overloading violations caused by the employer's orders or schedule also fall on the employer (§ 8a FPersG). Fines for your own offences (speed, phone) are yours.
- Deductions from wages are allowed only down to the protected threshold (around €1,560 net a month without dependants in 2026) and only for a lawful claim. Arbitrary 'company fines' for being late or a scratch are illegal.
EU rules: they apply in this country too
Driving and rest times: one rule for the whole EU
Law: Регламент (ЕС) 561/2006, Директива 2002/15/ЕС- After 4.5 hours of driving, a 45-minute break (15 + 30 allowed). No more than 9 hours a day, 10 twice a week. No more than 56 hours a week and 90 in two weeks.
- Daily rest of 11 hours (9 hours up to three times between weekly rests). Weekly rest of 45 hours; a reduced 24-hour rest must be compensated.
- The regular weekly rest may not be taken in the cab; the employer pays for accommodation. Every 4 weeks (or 3 after two consecutive reduced rests) the employer must organise your return home or to the operating base.
- The tachograph card is personal. Never lend it and never drive on someone else's card: fines and a driving ban hit you personally.
- Employers may not pay bonuses for distance or delivery speed that encourage violations (Art. 10 of Reg. 561/2006). A schedule that cannot be met without violations is the employer's violation.
- A driver's working time (driving + loading + ordered waiting) averages at most 48 hours a week, maximum 60. With night work, at most 10 hours per shift.
Pay of the country where you work: posting rules for drivers
Law: Директива (ЕС) 2020/1057 (Mobility Package), Директива 96/71/ЕС- For cabotage (domestic runs in another country) or transport between two countries neither of which is your company's country, you are entitled from day one to the pay rules of the country you drive in: its minimum wage, supplements, allowances.
- Bilateral runs (from the company's country and back) and transit are not covered.
- The employer must file a posting declaration in the IMI system and give you a copy. If you work permanently from another country and are employed 'at home' only for cheaper pay, that is a letterbox company and the law is on your side.
You do not pay for a job: not an agent, not an employer
Law: Конвенция МОТ № 181 (ст. 7), национальные законы о занятости- Charging a worker for job placement is prohibited or strictly limited in EU countries. A 'job fee', 'visa deposit' or 'runaway insurance' is a sign of fraud.
- No one may keep your passport or driving licence 'for safekeeping'. The passport always stays with you; a copy is enough for the employer.
- A 'debt' for tickets and paperwork deducted from your pay for months, and a ban on quitting until it is worked off, are signs of forced labour. That is a crime in every EU country; contact the hotline linked below.
You must receive your working conditions in writing
Law: Директива (ЕС) 2019/1152 о прозрачных условиях труда- Within 7 days of starting: place of work, job, pay and how it is paid, working time, probation, leave, notice periods. The rest within a month. If there is no document, demand it; it is your right.
- Probation of no more than 6 months. A second job may only be banned for objective reasons (e.g. safety and driving/rest rules).
- Training the employer must provide by law or contract (e.g. periodic Code 95 training) is free and counts as working time.
If you are from outside the EU: permit and changing employer
Law: Директива (ЕС) 2024/1233 о едином разрешении- The single permit gives the same rights as local workers: equal pay, working conditions, health and safety, social security, union membership.
- The recast (2024/1233, to be transposed by May 2026) allows changing employer by notifying the authority and keeping the permit for up to 3 months without a job (6 months if you have held it over two years). Countries implement this differently; check the country part below.
- A complaint to the labour inspectorate does not cost you your residence permit. An employer who threatens 'deportation' over a complaint is breaking the law.
Where to turn
Faire Mobilität (DGB)
Free and anonymous counselling for migrant workers in 12 cities, by phone and email, in Polish, Romanian, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Serbian, Croatian, English and other languages. They help recover wages and draft letters.
Zoll, Finanzkontrolle Schwarzarbeit (FKS)
Checks minimum wage and illegal employment. You can report an employer at any customs office or online; your status does not suffer.
Bundesamt für Logistik und Mobilität (BALM)
Supervises driving and rest times, tachographs and the posting of drivers. Report schedules that cannot be met without violations here.
Servicestelle gegen Arbeitsausbeutung
Federal service against labour exploitation, forced labour and trafficking: refers you to a counselling centre near you, in many languages.
ver.di, Fachbereich Verkehr
Transport workers' union: members get free legal protection in labour disputes.
Your Europe Advice
Free EU legal advice on your rights when working in another EU country, reply within a week, in all EU languages.
European Labour Authority (ELA)
Information on the rights of posted and mobile workers by country and contacts of national inspectorates.
Official sources
- Mindestlohngesetz (gesetze-im-internet.de)
- Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz
- Kündigungsschutzgesetz
- Bundesurlaubsgesetz
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EC) 561/2006
- EUR-Lex: Directive (EU) 2020/1057 (posting of drivers)
- EUR-Lex: Directive (EU) 2019/1152 (transparent working conditions)
- EUR-Lex: Directive (EU) 2024/1233 (single permit)
This is a general overview, not legal advice. Checked on 25/10/2026. Amounts and deadlines change: verify via the links to official sources.
Other countries
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