Your rights as a truck driver in Germany

Your wage

There is a statutory minimum wage in Germany. Since January 2025, it has been 12.82 euros gross per hour worked.

For work in other EU countries, you are often entitled to an even higher wage. In the Netherlands, for example, 16.00 euros per hour. This also applies if you have signed an employment contract abroad.

In most cases, your employer must pay the higher minimum wage of the countries in which you are travelling on international routes. This is precisely why, since February 2022, you must record in your tachograph at every national border that you are driving to another country.

You are not paid for the full 13-15 hours of work & availability?

That's how most drivers feel. That's why we recommend it: Document your working hours. In Germany, unpaid minimum wages can be claimed for the last 3 years. To do this, you must be able to prove all working and standby times.

Be prepared! Perhaps you will be changing companies next year? Changing jobs is always a good time to settle accounts with your ex-boss!

Document your working hours!

The tachograph is not just a control instrument - you can treat it like a cash register in which you register your wage claims!

Please note: The employer does not have to pay wages for hours that you register with the bed.

Only register these hours with the bed:

• statutory breaks of 45 minutes
• daily rest periods of 9 or 11 hours and
• weekly rest periods of 24 or 45 hours
• Holidays and sick days

In most cases, you can register all other hours with one of the three symbols for which the employer must pay wages.

Use the envelope symbol

You are often available to the employer for 13 to 15 hours. Then, in addition to driving time and other active working time, you should also register on-call time in the tachograph (and therefore also on your driver card)! On-call time must be paid.

Every time you cross a national border, register this in the speedometer. This way you can prove in which country you are entitled to which wage.

Create a personal archive of evidence

Take a photo of every consignment note (CMR) and save it!

• Your driver card is valid for 5 years and the employer must read it every 28 days.
• The chip on your card can store the activities of the last 6 months worked.
• You can read this data from the card yourself - without anyone else noticing!

Read out your driver card twice a year and save the electronic data (in .ddd or .xlsx format) on a private device (computer, USB stick, mobile phone, etc.)!

This will provide you with evidence of your working hours.

Where and how can you read out your driver card?

Ask another haulier, for example, so that your employer does not become suspicious. Have the electronic data saved on a stick or sent to you by e-mail!

It is best to buy a reader yourself. These are available from around €30! Support each other with your colleagues!

If your company puts you under pressure

Many drivers report that they are put under pressure by their company on the phone. The content of such phone calls is difficult to prove afterwards. But: You can try to write a message to your company to "log" such incidents.

Here are some examples:

• We just spoke on the phone. Did I understand correctly that I'm supposed to sleep in the lorry this weekend?
• We have just spoken on the phone. Did I understand correctly that I am not allowed to take holiday as requested? When is that possible again?
• We've just spoken on the phone. Did I understand correctly that I'm supposed to drive longer today and therefore shouldn't use the ⚒ symbol during loading today? Can I alternatively use the ✉️ symbol for standby time?
• You presented me with a document that I had to sign. I didn't understand it and can't remember what it said. Please send me a photo of it as a copy!

The more evidence you have of how your company treats you, the better. Evidence helps with inspections and in negotiations if you want to claim wages. Collect all documents or take photos of them. Also take photos of notices with rules and instructions at the company headquarters.

Important: Do not sign anything that you do not understand.

Support!

Advice centres can support you if you want to assert your rights before a German labour court - this also applies if you have signed your
employment contract abroad! Advice centres offer you a free initial consultation.
 

Call the free hotline of Faire Mobilität:

• Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian
  0800 0005776 / upit@faire-mobilitaet.de
• Bulgarian
  0800 1014341 / konsultacia@faire-mobilitaet.de
• Hungarian
  0800 0005614 / tanacsadas@faire-mobilitaet.de
• Polish
  0800 0005780 / doradztwo@faire-mobilitaet.de
• Romanian
  0800 0005602 / consiliere@faire-mobilitaet.de
• Czech
  poradenstvi@faire-mobilitaet.de
• Russian
  informacija@faire-mobilitaet.de

Unions are committed to fair wages for all. This can only be done together. Truck drivers in Germany are organized in the trade
union ver.di. www.verdi.de/ueber-uns/verdi-international provides information on membership in many languages.
Inform your colleagues and pass on this flyer! You can also forward the link to our information platform: www.fair-arbeiten.eu
You can find the direct contact to our counselling locations at:

www.faire-mobilitaet.de/beratungsstellen