Antwerp Police Fine Truck Drivers €56K for Sleeping in Cabs

Antwerp police and labor inspection services have issued over €56,000 in on-the-spot fines to 24 truck drivers caught illegally sleeping in their vehicles during their mandatory weekly rest period. The enforcement action, codenamed Operation PUKHUS, took place on Sunday evening, May 10, across multiple industrial zones and streets in the Antwerp police zone, according to HLN.

Context: The EU Mobility Package

The enforcement is grounded in the EU Mobility Package, a set of European regulations adopted to improve working and living conditions for truck drivers. Under these rules, drivers may not spend their regular weekly rest period of 45 hours or more in their vehicle. Employers are required to provide suitable accommodation, such as a hotel or apartment. The regulations also mandate that drivers must be able to return home every four weeks, and foreign trucks must return to their company’s country of establishment every eight weeks.

The Operation

During the third edition of Operation PUKHUS, authorities inspected 50 trucks. Of those, 24 drivers were found to be spending their weekly rest illegally in their vehicles. Inspectors observed drivers hanging clothing to dry in truck grilles and cooking on chassis — evidence that employers had not provided hotel or apartment accommodations as required by law.

“Good living and working conditions remain essential for road safety,” said Wouter Bruyns, spokesperson for Police Zone Antwerpen. “Unlike previous editions, this year the action did not take place in the Antwerp port area, but spread across various industrial zones and streets within the territory of Police Zone Antwerpen.”

Beyond the cabin sleeping violations, police discovered multiple driving and rest time infractions. Two drivers lacked valid driver attestations, and one driver failed to use their driver card while driving. In total, €56,220 in immediate fines was collected, and the labor inspection launched three investigations into possible social dumping — the practice of employing foreign workers under less favorable conditions than local workers.

Employer Liability

The transport companies whose drivers violated the rules face additional penalties. “The involved employers risk a fine of 1,800 euros per violation,” Bruyns confirmed. This signals a regulatory intent to hold companies accountable, though critics argue enforcement still falls disproportionately on individual drivers.

International Cooperation

The operation drew international attention. Inspectors and observers from Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Austria, and the Netherlands followed the action on site, reflecting the cross-border nature of the transport industry. The traffic police worked closely with local police HEKLA, the federal shipping police, and labor inspection services SIOD, TSW, RSZ, and VSI.

A Growing Problem

This is not an isolated incident. The first major PUKHUS operation in May 2024 was significantly larger: 341 trucks were present, 202 were checked, and 135 violations for sleeping in cabins were recorded, resulting in €255,762 in fines, according to the SIOD. A separate operation at a truck parking lot in the Antwerp port area resulted in €133,000 in fines.

The Truck Parking Crisis

The enforcement highlights a chronic structural problem: a severe shortage of proper truck parking and rest facilities in and around Antwerp, one of Europe’s busiest ports. Drivers face conflicting pressures — EU regulations require mandatory rest, but adequate parking and accommodation are often unavailable. Many drivers report that their employers do not provide hotel accommodations as required by law.

Reader comments on the HLN article reflect this frustration. “There’s already no place to park that truck for your daily break,” wrote one reader. “Fines are one thing, but an alternative or solution?” Another commenter argued: “The COMPANIES MUST be tackled and NOT the drivers. Those drivers ALWAYS pay the price, they only carry out what the boss wants.”

What’s Next

The three social dumping investigations could lead to further penalties for companies exploiting foreign drivers. However, without meaningful investment in truck parking infrastructure and stronger enforcement against employers, the underlying tensions between regulation and practical reality are likely to persist. The question remains whether future operations will focus more on the systemic issues — particularly the shortage of rest facilities — or continue to penalize individual drivers caught in the middle.