Bulgaria updates road transport laws to align with EU standards

The Bulgarian government has approved a draft amendment to the Road Transport Act to align with European Union legislation. A primary change involves expanding licensing requirements to include freight transport using motor vehicles with a maximum permissible mass exceeding 2.5 tons, down from the current 3.5-ton threshold.

The new rules allow companies to utilize vehicles leased from any EU member state rather than only from their country of establishment. Additionally, new restrictions on cabotage services will prevent foreign carriers from performing cabotage in Bulgaria with the same vehicle for four days following the completion of a previous cabotage operation. These measures aim to ensure fair competition and prevent the use of “mailbox companies” by requiring Bulgarian-established carriers to maintain a genuine and permanent presence in the country.

Regarding driver welfare and oversight, the amendments increase the required retention period for driving and rest time records from 28 to 56 calendar days to improve the efficiency of inspections by the Executive Agency Automotive Administration. The rules also introduce stricter measures for the manipulation of tachographs.