The second extraordinary inspection campaign of 2026 on commercial vehicles and buses on European roads, coordinated by Roadpol (European Roads Policing Network), will run from Monday 4 to Sunday 10 May. The aim of these campaigns is twofold. On the one hand, they seek to reduce the number of accidents involving heavy vehicles and buses. On the other, they aim to tackle systematically breaches of rules on driving and rest times, tachographs, the technical condition of vehicles, proper load securing, the transport of dangerous goods and document compliance. In several cases, checks are carried out through a multi-agency approach, with the Traffic Police working alongside labour inspectorates, tax authorities and European supervisory bodies.
The previous campaign took place from 9 to 15 February 2026. Roadpol did not publish an overall assessment, but some figures can be drawn from statements issued by individual police forces, starting with Italy, where Truck&Bus was implemented by the Polizia Stradale on ordinary roads and motorways. Over the week, 7,002 lorries and 40 buses were checked. A total of 6,388 violations were recorded, including 467 breaches of speed limits, 27 cases of drink-driving and six cases of driving under the influence of drugs. Officers also recorded 330 violations for failure to wear seat belts. Tachograph compliance was a major issue, with 1,020 infringements, in addition to 730 violations linked to technical problems with vehicles or load irregularities, 471 document-related infringements, 73 violations concerning the transport of dangerous goods and five cases involving waste transport. The checks led to the withdrawal of 583 driving licences and the deduction of 9,997 points overall.
Slovenia also published a detailed overview of the February 2026 campaign. During the week, Slovenian officers stopped 3,265 lorry drivers and 761 bus drivers, bringing the total number of professional drivers checked to almost 4,000. They recorded 1,003 violations among lorry drivers and 94 among bus drivers. The most common irregularities concerned speeding, failure to wear seat belts, overloading, inadequate load securing, technical defects in vehicles, particularly worn or damaged tyres, and the use of mobile phones while driving.
One of the most significant episodes of the week took place in Belgium, on the E40 near Wetteren. In this operation, seen as emblematic of the Roadpol model, 168 heavy vehicles and buses were checked. A total of 97 infringements were recorded, meaning irregularities were found in more than half of the vehicles inspected. The operation involved not only the police, but also social inspectorates, tax authorities and European control bodies. The violations mainly concerned driving and rest times, tachographs, technical conditions and load-related issues. The fines issued totalled around €98,000.
