Truck driver minimum wage 2027 in Europe: what changes by country

From 2027-01-01 the statutory floor for a driver employed in Germany is 14.60 EUR per hour, in Poland 4,950 PLN per month, in Czechia 24,900 CZK per month, and in Lithuania 1,245 EUR per month. The German figure is fixed in the Fifth Minimum Wage Adjustment Ordinance , which also sets 13.90 EUR for 2026. Portugal, Romania, and Spain had not finished their decisions on 2026-10-31. This post puts all seven countries in one table, separates what is law from what is still a plan, and explains which country's floor applies when a driver works abroad.

What is the minimum wage for truck drivers in each country from 2027-01-01?

The table below lists the national statutory minimum wage that applies to a driver on a standard employment contract. It is a legal floor for every employee in the country, not a transport-sector rate, and it says nothing about what haulier payroll actually pays. Status is as of 2026-10-31.

France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and other Member States are not covered here. Their 2027 figures were not researched for this post, so it does not claim a full EU roundup. Last checked: 2026-10-31.

Which 2027 minimum wages are already law, and which are still open?

Four of the seven are fixed by a legal act or a government decision, and three are not. The distinction matters for payroll planning because an open figure can still move, or in Romania's case stay where it is.

The four settled figures rest on these acts:

• Germany: the Fifth Minimum Wage Adjustment Ordinance, issued 2025-11-05, sets both 13.90 EUR from 2026-01-01 and 14.60 EUR from 2027-01-01.
• Poland: a Council of Ministers regulation of 2026-09-14, published in the Dziennik Ustaw 2026 item 1213 on 2026-09-15.
• Czechia: a government decision of 2026-09-07, announced by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs as "Minimální mzda v roce 2027 vzroste na 24 900 korun" .
• Lithuania: Government Resolution No. 509 of 2026-07-01, reported by the public broadcaster LRT .

The three open cases are covered in their own section below. In all three, a number printed in a headline or a union demand is not a decision, and this post uses only figures that a government has published.

How much does the German minimum wage rise, and what is that per month?

Germany rises from 13.90 EUR to 14.60 EUR gross per hour on 2027-01-01, an increase of 0.70 EUR or 5.04%. At a 40-hour week, which is 173.33 hours per month, that is about 2,531 EUR gross per month against about 2,409 EUR in 2026, a difference of roughly 121 EUR. These monthly numbers are our own arithmetic from the hourly rate, so use the hourly rate in contracts.

Section 20 of the minimum wage act (MiLoG) obliges employers with a seat in Germany or abroad to pay at least the minimum wage to employees working in Germany. That is why the German step matters beyond German carriers, and the posting section below explains when it reaches a foreign driver. For the full German breakdown, including how the floor compares with typical driver pay, see the dedicated guide to the German minimum wage in 2027 for truck drivers .

What do the Polish, Czech, and Lithuanian rises mean for drivers?

Czechia has the largest relative rise of the seven, Lithuania the second largest, and Poland the smallest of the three settled rises outside Germany. Each country sets the floor in a different way, so the details differ.

Poland: 4,950 PLN per month and 32.30 PLN per hour

The regulation published on 2026-09-15 sets the monthly minimum at 4,950 PLN from 2027-01-01, up 144 PLN or 3.0% from 4,806 PLN. It also sets a minimum hourly rate of 32.30 PLN, which is 0.90 PLN above the 2026 rate. The hourly rate applies to civil-law contracts (zlecenie), so a driver on a standard employment contract is covered by the monthly figure.

Czechia: 24,900 CZK per month

The Czech government approved 24,900 CZK from 2027-01-01 on 2026-09-07, up 2,500 CZK or 11.2% from 22,400 CZK in 2026. The Czech legal outlet Advokátní deník reported the regulation sets the coefficient at 0.446 of the average wage for 2027 and 0.458 for 2028, with an estimate of about 26,900 CZK for 2028; treat the 2028 figure as a projection, not a decision.

Lithuania: 1,245 EUR per month and 7.61 EUR per hour

Resolution No. 509 sets the Lithuanian minimum at 1,245 EUR gross per month, up 92 EUR or 8.0% from 1,153 EUR, with an hourly minimum of 7.61 EUR against 7.05 EUR before. The government estimates that net pay for minimum-wage earners rises by 56 EUR to at least 902 EUR, and that about 145,000 employees are affected, according to LRT . Social partners had floated 1,235.9 EUR in June 2026, but the government went to 1,245 EUR. English-language reports say the rise applies from "next year", and the standard start date is 2027-01-01.

What is still unsettled in Romania, Spain, and Portugal?

Portugal has a scheduled figure, Romania has a stated intention, and Spain has a process with no number yet. None of the three should be treated as final. We plan to refresh this post in December 2026, when the Portuguese decree-law, any Romanian decision, and the Spanish royal decree are expected to settle.

Portugal: 970 EUR x 14 is scheduled, not yet law

Portugal's guaranteed monthly minimum wage for 2026 is 920 EUR in 14 payments, set by Decree-Law 139/2025 of 2025-12-29, which the labour authority DGERT lists as a 5.7% rise on 870 EUR. The 2025-2028 tripartite agreement signed on 2024-10-01 is reported to schedule 970 EUR for 2027 and 1,020 EUR for 2028, based on a law-firm summary and not on the decree text. A scheduled figure becomes binding only through a decree-law, normally published in December, and no 2027 decree had been found on 2026-10-31. For how the minimum compares with actual sector pay, see the guide to Portuguese truck driver salaries per month .

Romania: 4,325 RON stays unless a new act changes it

Romania's gross minimum base salary has been 4,325 RON (lei) per month since 2026-07-01, up from 4,050 RON. According to Playtech.ro , Labour Minister Florin Manole said that on 2027-01-01 the minimum wage will be the one now in payment. The same report says talks on a possible rise are expected once the statistics institute supplies the formula data, followed by the National Tripartite Council, and any change would need a new normative act. Nothing was adopted on 2026-10-31. Note that the 4,325 RON base excludes diurna (the daily allowance for drivers working abroad), which the guide to Romanian truck driver salaries explains.

Spain: committee convened, no figure

Spain's minimum wage (SMI) for 2026 is 1,221 EUR per month in 14 payments, approved by the Council of Ministers on 2026-02-17 with a 3.1% rise and applied retroactively from 2026-01-01. The Ministry of Labour convened the advisory committee on 2026-10-08 to prepare the 2027 update, as Demócrata reported. The next steps are an expert report proposing a range, talks with social partners, and approval by the Council of Ministers through a royal decree (real decreto). The stated aim is to approve it before the general election on 2026-11-29. No amount or rate of increase has been published.

Which country's minimum wage applies when a driver works abroad?

The home-country floor applies to a driver working in the carrier's own country and on bilateral runs, while the host-country floor applies on cabotage and cross-trade days. This follows Article 1 of Directive (EU) 2020/1057, the Mobility Package rule on posting of drivers, which has applied since 2022-02-02. The European Commission's posting Q&A sets out how the host-state terms and conditions must be made accessible.

Cabotage means domestic transport inside a Member State by a carrier established in another one. Cross-trade means a run between two countries when neither is the carrier's home country. Posting means a driver sent to work temporarily in another country, with that country's pay terms applying for the duration.

In practice, a Polish, Romanian, or Lithuanian carrier doing cabotage or cross-trade in Germany owes at least 14.60 EUR per hour on those days from 2027-01-01. The same carrier on a bilateral Poland-Germany run keeps the Polish floor. The host-state terms come from Article 3 of Directive 96/71/EC, covering law, regulation, and universally applicable collective agreements, so they can exceed the statutory minimum where a sector agreement applies. Whether such sector rates exceed the statutory minimum for posted drivers in 2027 was not checked for this post.

Two limits apply. How the German minimum wage act treats a pure transit or bilateral leg through Germany was not confirmed against a primary source, so confirm route cases with the German customs authority (Zoll) before relying on any reading. Also, the Commission itself notes that only the Court of Justice of the EU gives a binding interpretation, and national enforcement can differ. For the wider cabotage and return-rule picture, read the guide to Mobility Package cabotage, posting, and return rules .

What should hauliers check before 2027-01-01?

Start with your contracts and your payroll system, then your posting records. The changes are small per driver but add up across a fleet, and you need a date in the calendar for the open figures.

• Pay basis: check whether each contract states an hourly or monthly rate. Germany is hourly, Poland has both a monthly and a civil-law hourly figure, and Portugal and Spain count 14 payments.
• Floors versus actual pay: a driver paid well above the floor may not need a change, but a driver paid near it will. The floor is a minimum, not a market rate, as the European driver salary country guide shows.
• Posting days: count cabotage and cross-trade days per driver per country, because those days carry the host-state floor from 2027-01-01.
• Open figures: put a December 2026 review in the calendar for Portugal, Romania, and Spain, and avoid fixing multi-year customer rates on a number that has not been decided.

Frequently asked questions

Is the minimum wage what a truck driver actually earns?

No. The minimum wage is the legal lowest pay for any employee in a country. Driver pay in most markets sits above it, and allowances such as diurna in Romania are paid on top of the base.

Does Germany's 14.60 EUR apply to foreign drivers?

It applies on days that count as posting in Germany, such as cabotage and cross-trade. Section 20 of the German minimum wage act covers employers with a seat abroad for work done in Germany. Bilateral and transit legs are treated differently under the posting directive, and route cases should be confirmed with Zoll.

Is Poland's 32.30 PLN hourly rate for every driver?

No. The hourly rate applies to civil-law contracts (zlecenie). A driver on a standard employment contract is covered by the monthly floor of 4,950 PLN.

Will the Portuguese minimum wage be 970 EUR in 2027?

It is scheduled at 970 EUR in the 2025-2028 tripartite agreement, but it becomes binding only through a decree-law. Such a decree is normally published in December, and none had been found on 2026-10-31.

When will Romania and Spain decide?

Spain aims to approve its figure before the general election on 2026-11-29, but no amount has been published. In Romania, talks were expected as of 2026-10-26, and the labour minister has said the current 4,325 RON stays on 2027-01-01 unless a new act changes it. Neither decision had been taken on 2026-10-31.

Why is the Czech rise larger than the German one?

Czechia raises the minimum by 11.2% because the government ties it to a coefficient of the average wage, reported as 0.446 for 2027. Germany raises it by 5.04% through a fixed ordinance. The two countries use different mechanisms and start from different levels.

Hauliers pricing 2027 labour and posting costs into lane rates can ask for a compliance-aware freight quote once the open figures settle.