Cross-border inspection: A successful collaboration between France and Germany

This inspection follows the first Franco-German cross-border operation published last October: French-German cross-border inspection on dangerous goods transport, ECR Control Week 2024. Both new operations were decided in the aftermath of the June 2024 France-Germany bilateral exchange, which reinforced cooperation in road transport control and European transport regulation.

On June 3rd, a cross-border control operation was organised on the A36 motorway at the Ottmarsheim control area in France. This initiative, the result of collaboration between Alsatian road transport inspectors from DREAL Grand-Est and their German counterparts from BALM Baden-Württemberg, strengthened ties and facilitated the sharing of effective practices in road safety and economic regulation. After a successful initial contact last October 2024, on the A5 motorway near Neuenburg-am-Rhein in Germany, the French teams welcomed their German colleagues for a "return" inspection, in partnership with the Brigade de Surveillance Intérieure (French Customs officers) of Mulhouse.

The operation notably involved inspecting a log-carrying road train and weighing it using mobile load scales from the French inspection vehicles. These devices allow for the weighing of vehicles ranging from passenger cars to multi-axle heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), although the latter require more effort for the inspectors performing the weighing. The inspected vehicle was overloaded and was fined.

Other vehicles were ticketed for various infringements of European social regulations, including exceeding driving times and insufficient rest periods. Violations related to the cross-border transport of waste were also identified during the inspection.

Inspectors from both sides of the Rhine expressed their satisfaction with the exchanges and the overall experience, underlining the value of their shared missions in contributing to road safety and fair economic competition through consistent European transport compliance.

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