German fines for trucks

The 50-metre rule

This is the best-known rule, and also the one most often broken. Germany has a hard minimum distance for heavy traffic on the motorway:

Mit Lastkraftwagen (zulässige Gesamtmasse über 3,5 t) oder Kraftomnibus bei einer Geschwindigkeit von mehr als 50 km/h auf einer Autobahn Mindestabstand von 50 m von einem vorausfahrenden Fahrzeug nicht eingehalten

Bussgeldkatalog, entry 15 (Article 4(3) StVO). Standard amount €80. Accessed 26 August 2026.

So: over 3.5 tonnes, on the Autobahn, above 50 km/h, at least 50 metres. That's not a guideline but a fixed amount in the catalogue. And note the text: alongside the truck it also names the coach, so the rule isn't limited to goods transport.

Overtaking in poor visibility: the heaviest on the list

Above 7.5 tonnes you may not overtake if visibility due to fog, snow or rain is under 50 metres. And here the amounts climb sharply:

Overtaking above 7.5 tonnes while visibility due to fog, snow or rain was under 50 metres	€120
With danger to others	€200 plus a one-month driving ban
With material damage	€240 plus a one-month driving ban

Bussgeldkatalog, entries 21, 21.1 and 21.2 (Article 5(3a) StVO).

A one-month driving ban for a single overtaking manoeuvre. For a professional driver that's a completely different matter from the amount itself.

The left-hand lane

Two separate rules that both exist only for heavy vehicles.

Outside built-up areas, a truck over 3.5 tonnes or a vehicle with a trailer may only use the left-hand lane to turn left. For anything else: €15, and €20 if it causes an obstruction.

Bussgeldkatalog, entry 31b.

And above 7.5 tonnes including trailer, you may not use the far left lane at all in icy conditions, or when visibility due to heavy snow or rain is 50 metres or less. That costs €80.

Bussgeldkatalog, entry 87a.

Load securing

A load that could shift, tip, roll or fall off during an emergency stop or a sudden evasive manoeuvre is finable. And a higher rate applies to trucks than to other vehicles:

Truck or coach, and their trailers	€60
Same, with danger to others	€75
Other vehicles	€35

Bussgeldkatalog, entries 102.1, 102.1.1 and 102.2.

Overloading: why your employer pays more

This is the most interesting distinction in the whole catalogue. Overloading has two separate entries: one for whoever drives with it, one for whoever allowed it. For vehicles over 7.5 tonnes, or with trailers over 2 tonnes:

Excess	Driver	Keeper
2 to 5 percent	€30	€35
more than 5 percent	€80	€140
more than 10 percent	€110	€235
more than 15 percent	€140	€285
more than 20 percent	€190	€380
more than 25 percent	€285	€425
more than 30 percent	€380	—

Bussgeldkatalog, entries 198 and 199 (Article 31(2) in conjunction with Article 34(3) StVO), amounts set out in the annex table referenced at 198.1/199.1. The keeper is whoever the vehicle is registered to, in practice your employer.

Two things worth remembering. It starts at just 2 percent, which on 40 tonnes is under 800 kilos. And from 5 percent the keeper consistently pays more than the driver, more than double from over 10 percent. In the German catalogue, overloading is first and foremost the company's responsibility.

The Sunday driving ban

You see the same pattern with the Sunday and public holiday ban, even more sharply:

Drove during a prohibited Sunday or public holiday	€120
As keeper, ordered or allowed it	€570

Bussgeldkatalog, entries 119 and 120.

Almost five times as much for the company. Exactly when the ban applies and what the exceptions are is covered in the German driving ban.

Why an amount can come out higher than listed above

The catalogue has a separate increase table. Standard amounts above €55 go up once danger to others or material damage is added, where that isn't already built into the entry itself.

A few examples from that table: €60 becomes €75 with danger and €90 with damage. €120 becomes €145 and €175. €200 becomes €240 and €290. €400 becomes €480 and €580.

Bussgeldkatalog-Verordnung, annex to Article 3(3), table 4.

Sources

• Bussgeldkatalog-Verordnung (BKatV), Annex to Article 1(1), Bussgeldkatalog: entries 15, 21, 31b, 87a, 102, 119, 120, 198 and 199. gesetze-im-internet.de
• BKatV, annex to entries 198 and 199, table 3 (excess axle load, permitted total weight and trailer load).
• BKatV, annex to Article 3(3), table 4 (increase of standard amounts for danger to others or material damage).

Accessed on the official German legislation site gesetze-im-internet.de on 26 August 2026. The German text for entries 15 and 21 is quoted verbatim and independently checked against the source; the remaining amounts are taken from the same catalogue via its Table 3/Table 4 annexes. The German text is quoted verbatim where shown, the explanation is translated. These are standard amounts: repeat offences or particular circumstances can result in a German authority setting a higher one.