Joint inspections reveal truck drivers working illegally in the Netherlands and Belgium

ELA supported concerted and joint inspections in Moerdijk, the Netherlands on 6 May organised by inspectors of the Netherlands Labour Authority, Dutch police and transport inspectors along with participants from the Lithuanian Transport Safety Administration and the State Labour Inspectorate, and from Belgian Federal Police and the Belgian Social Information and Investigation Service (SIIS).

One transport company originating from Lithuania was specifically inspected based on suspicions that its Dutch branch was a letter box company, and prior indications of the company frequently employing drivers from outside the EU. Trucks of the targeted company also operate in Belgium.

During the road side inspection, 25 trucks of the targeted company and other transport operators were checked in total. Eight drivers were found to be working illegally, out of them five were employed by a single company. The drivers from countries such as Uzbekistan and India were working without the required work permits. Inspectors also found drivers working illegally for other companies, such as a driver from Angola who was working via an irregular posting arrangement. The posting had not been reported, which constitutes a violation of the Directive on the Posting of Drivers, which was introduced by the EU Mobility Package on road transport. Suspected violations against the Dutch Minimum Wage and Minimum Holiday Allowance Act were also detected. When inspecting the business address of the Dutch branch, inspectors found an empty office space.

Earlier, in another concerted and joint inspection supported by ELA on 19 April 2026 in Belgium, trucks of the same company were inspected in the presence of the Lithuanian authorities, the Netherlands Labour Authority and the Dutch police. ELA facilitated the exchange of information among national authorities, with support from national liaison officers of the participating Member States, concerning the targeted transport operator. This contributed to the planning of the subsequent concerted and joint inspections in the Netherlands and Lithuania.

Officials from the Netherlands Labour Authority and the National Expertise and Operations unit of the police also visited the transport company's operational centre in Kaunas in Lithuania the day after the inspection in the Netherlands, in cooperation with the State Labour Inspectorate of Lithuania. During this visit, additional evidence of employment was obtained for a large number of drivers. These data will be important for the Dutch authorities’ investigation.

Investigations are now being continued. The Dutch National and International Road Transport Organization (NIWO) has initiated the revocation procedure for all transport licenses of the Dutch establishment.

The concerted and joint inspections in the Netherlands and Lithuania were carried out as part of the May Road Transport Week of Action inspections coordinated by ELA in partnership with Roadpol, the Network of European Traffic Police Forces.

* Photos courtesy of SIOD and the Netherlands Labour Authority.