Minimum wage and overtime for truck drivers in Europe (2026)
Updated on 27 June 2026
What is the minimum a truck driver earns in Europe, and how is overtime paid? Here are the 2026 legal floors by country — with the official sources. ⚠️ These figures are minimums: your collective agreement or your contract may provide more. It is your contract that prevails.
How to read this guide
Three pieces of info per country: the legal minimum wage (the floor), the legal working time, and the overtime premium. Note: in several countries (Germany, Spain, Italy) the overtime premium is not set by law but by the collective agreement — so it can be higher than the minimum shown.
🇫🇷 France
💶Minimum wage: SMIC ≈ 11,88 €/h (~1 801,80 €/month gross). Road transport (CCNTR): often above, e.g. ~12,68 €/h at coefficient 150M.
⏱️Working time: 35 h/week; transport = equivalence scheme (e.g. 152 normal hours, then equivalence and overtime hours).
➕Overtime: +25 % then +50 % (Labour Code / CCNTR).
Source: Service-Public / CCNTR
🇩🇪 Germany
💶Legal minimum wage (Mindestlohn) as of 01/01/2026: 13,90 €/h (~2 343 €/month full time).
⏱️Working time: max 8 h/day (→10 h if the average is ≤8 h over 24 weeks), full time ~40 h/week (Arbeitszeitgesetz).
➕Overtime: no legal premium — set by the contract/Tarifvertrag (often +25 % to +30 %).
Source: BMAS (Ministry of Labour)
🇪🇸 Spain
💶Minimum wage (SMI) 2026: 1 221 €/month ×14 = 17 094 €/year (≈ 1 424,50 €/month over 12, ≈ 8,22 €/h).
⏱️Legal working time: 40 h/week.
➕Overtime: no minimum legal premium (at least equal to the ordinary hour) — often +25 % to +75 % by agreement.
Source: BOE (RD 126/2026)
🇮🇹 Italy
💶No legal minimum wage: set by the sector collective agreements (CCNL). Check the minimum of your CCNL.
⏱️Working time: 40 h/week; limit of 250 overtime h/year (unless the CCNL says otherwise).
➕Overtime (straordinario): premium set by CCNL, generally +15 % to +30 % (daytime), plus nights/public holidays.
🇵🇱 Poland
💶Minimum wage 2026: 4 806 zł/month, i.e. 31,40 zł/h (in zlotys, not in €).
⏱️Working time: 40 h/week, 8 h/day (Kodeks pracy).
➕Overtime: legal premium +50 % (and +100 % at night, on Sundays, public holidays and beyond the weekly norm).
🇷🇴 Romania
💶Minimum wage 2026: 4 050 lei (Jan-Jun) then 4 325 lei (Jul-Dec), i.e. ≈ 25,95 lei/h (in lei, not in €).
⏱️Working time: 40 h/week, 8 h/day (Codul Muncii).
➕Overtime: compensated with time off, otherwise a legal premium of min +75 % (i.e. 175 % of the hour).
Source: Codul Muncii (overview)
Why it matters for your pay
These minimums give you a benchmark. But the most effective approach is to compare your actual hours (driver card, which is authoritative) against your payslip, according to your contract. That is exactly what TruckerMaster does — and you can audit your contract in any country by entering your own values.
General information up to date as of 27/06/2026, not legal advice. Amounts change (revaluations, agreements). When in doubt: trade union, labour inspectorate, legal counsel.
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