This document is only available in German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, English and Spanish .

Application procedures

In Denmark, Germany, Finland, Norway and Sweden vehicles intended for the carriage of goods are separated into the categories motor vehicles (trucks/lorries), trucks pulling a trailer and trucks pulling a semi- trailer. These categories are further subdivided according to the number of axles and distances between the axles. Various limits for weight and di- mensions apply to the various types of vehicles and vehicle combinations. Restrictions ap-ply to the length, width, height, axle load and total laden weight of the vehicle or vehicle combination. Sweden, unlike the other countries, does not require special permits for transports which exceed a certain height. In this case, the driver bears full responsibility, meaning that he must assess the whether there is sufficient clearance for his transport along his intended route and is liable for any damages caused by his transport.

The restrictions for vehicle size and weight are similar throughout the VIKING Region. The only major differences exist in the restrictions for total laden weight and vehicle length. Here the restrictions set by Sweden and Finland differ considerable from those of Denmark, Germany and Norway owing to the fact that Sweden and Finland follow the so-called “modular system” for vehicle combinations. This system allows for the assembling of vari-ous vehicle elements such as trucks, trailers and semi-trailers in order to form modular ve-hicle combinations. Such combinations cannot be used in the other three countries without a special permit. The maximum allowances for Finland and Sweden can only be fully ex-ploited by the use of modular combinations.

In all countries of the VIKING Region, transport operations which exceed one or more of the national limits can be carried out with an appropriate special permit. In all five coun-tries, the authority responsible for issuing such permits is a public institution.

Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland have created a classification system for their pub-lic road networks for the transport of goods, enabling them to define restrictions for size and weight in accordance with the local conditions.

A permit application can generally be processed in less than a week. Germany, however, is the exception in this respect, with a processing period of one to three weeks. In Denmark and Norway, the application process is free of charge. In Sweden, applicants can plan on paying up to 104 euros in fees. In Finland, fees vary according to route and weight and can total as much as 460 euros. In Germany, the maximum fee is 767 euros.