Posting of drivers to France

As of November 1, 2024, the minimum wage in France has increased by 2%, now set at €1,801.80 gross per month for a 35-hour work week. This early adjustment, detailed in a decree published on October 24, 2024, means there will be no further re-evaluation on January 1, 2025.

Current rates as of November 1, 2024:

Monthly minimum wage: €1,801.80 gross
Hourly minimum wage: €11.88 gross

However, for professional drivers in international transport, the collective agreement rates continue to apply, with no changes, as these rates exceed the current minimum wage. The latest collective agreement minimum wage rates for the transport sector have been in effect since December 22, 2023.

Below, you can find the minimum wage based on conventional wage scales in the transport sector. Please note that drivers of trucks and combined vehicles with a gross weight of over 3.5 tons engaged in international transport are considered equivalent to group 7 with a coefficient of 150M. Therefore, the minimum wage for these posting of drivers to France should be at least €12.43 gross per hour.

But first, in order to ensure the correct organization of the posted drivers’ work and remuneration in France, the transport company must follow the general rules and basic hourly rates applicable for the posting of drivers to France.

Therefore, the working time should be organized by respecting the working time and rest period rules mentioned below:

Working time and rest time rules	Goods transport undertakings	Passenger transport undertakings
Max. working hours per day	12 hours	10 hours*
Max. working hours per day for night work	10 hours**	10 hours**
Max. number of hours per week over 3 months	48 hours	46 hours
Max. number of hours per single week	56 hours for long-distance workers, 52 hours for other workers	N/A
Daily rest period subject to European regulations governing rest time:	11 hours, with the option for 3 reduced rest periods of 9 hours per week
Daily rest period for other drivers	10 consecutive hours in any 24-hour period
Weekly rest period subject to European regulations governing rest time	45 hours – option for a reduces weekly rest period of 24 hours in 2 consecutive weeks if this is compensated before the end of the third week.
Weekly rest period for other drivers	48 hours***	N/A
Breaks	30 min. for working between 6 and 9 hours per day 45 min. for working more than 9 hours per day option to divide the breaks into smaller periods of at least 15 minutes each

* Possibility of 12 hours once or twice a week, up to a maximum of 6 times over a 12-week period.

** For a night worker or an employee performing part of his/her work between the hours of midnight and 5 am in a 24-hour period.

*** In successive rest periods of equal or unequal length, subject to a minimum of 35 hours at home and 24 hours away from home.

	Group	Definition of driver’s coefficient	Coefficient	Hourly rate	Extra hours paid*
	Group	Definition of driver’s coefficient	Coefficient	Hourly rate	36h to 43h per week, 152h to 186h per month	More than 43h per week, more than 186h
Freight transport**	3 bis	Driver of a vehicle weighing up to 3,5 T GVW	118M	12.09 €	+25%	+50%
	4	Driver of a heavy goods vehicle weighing more than 3,5 T and up to and including 11 T GVW	120M	12.09 €
	5	Driver of a heavy goods vehicle weighing more than 11 T and up to and including 19 T GVW	128M	12.12 €
	6	Driver of a heavy goods vehicle weighing more than 19 T GVW	138M	12.14 €
	7	Highly qualified driver of a heavy goods vehicle	150M	12.43 €
Passengers transport***	8	Coach driver – Worker in charge of driving a coach; assists the conductor, including handling transported parcels and postal consignments	138V	12,6974 €
	9	Coach driver/conductor – Worker in charge of driving a coach and collecting courier, luggage, and passenger receipts	140V	12,7902 €
	9b	Tourist vehicle driver – Worker who has been driving a coach for at least two years and fulfils all of the conditions laid out in job descriptions 8 or 9	145V	13,0548 €
	10	Grand tourer driver – Worker who is normally responsible for driving a luxury coach with at least 32 seats; drives along tourist routes, i.e. for a duration of at least 5 days	150V	13,3720 €

* Extra hours increase when working hours exceed the statutory maximum number of working hours per week (35 hours for long-haul drivers, 39 hours for short-haul drivers).

** According to the national collective agreement, the figures in the above table are increased, if aplicable, by:

€12.45: work on public holidays and work on Sunday (less than 3 hours)
€28.43: work on public holidays and work on Sunday (more than 3 hours).

*** According to the national collective agreement, the figures in the above table are increased, if applicable, by:

€47,27: work on public holidays and work on Sunday (regardless of the number of hours worked).

According to the French collective agreement, drivers of trucks and combined vehicles with a gross weight of more than 3.5 t engaged in international transport are considered equivalent to group 7 with a coefficient of 150M. The minimum wage for these drivers should be € 12,43/gross/hour.

The hourly remuneration of workers in the road transport sector and auxiliary transport activities must be increased according to the years spent in the company: +2%, +4%, +6% and +8% after 2, 5, 10 and 15 years of work in the company, respectively.

Posting of drivers to France : Night work

For road freight transport, any working hour between 21:00 and 06:00 entitles you to a supplement equal to 20% of the indicative hourly rate (related to the coefficient of 150M).

More than one hour worked in passenger road transport between 21:00 and 06:00 entitles the relevant staff to compensatory rest corresponding to 10% of the night working time.

More information about other countries can be found here