Montenegro’s road-haulage industry is preparing to join a regional freight protest at EU borders, as restrictions linked to the Schengen 90-day stay rule increasingly limit drivers’ ability to operate inside the European Union. Carrier associations from Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia announced coordinated action after failing to resolve the issue affecting professional drivers subject to the rule allowing stays of 90 days within any 180-day period. Regional hauliers report cases involving entry refusals, deportations and other penalties after drivers exceeded their permitted stays.
Montenegro Faces a Capacity Constraint
For Montenegro, the issue is affecting the available capacity of domestic international carriers. Đorđije Lješnjak, head of Montenegro’s road hauliers association, said local operators had already withdrawn more than half of their capacity from some international operations because of driver restrictions. The reduction increases the possibility that foreign carriers will take freight previously transported by Montenegrin companies.
The restrictions are also changing the economics of fleet expansion. Purchasing additional trucks does not automatically increase freight capacity in the EU if companies cannot allocate drivers with enough remaining Schengen days. Operators may instead have to maintain larger driver pools, use shorter rotations and relay systems, or cooperate with EU-based carriers, increasing their operating costs. Smaller trucking companies face greater exposure because they have fewer drivers available to rotate between assignments.
Foreign Carriers Gain a Competitive Advantage
Higher labour and compliance expenses could eventually be reflected in freight rates paid by Montenegro’s importers and exporters. Domestic carriers also face the possibility of losing market share to EU-registered operators whose drivers are not subject to the same restrictions. Such companies can keep vehicles operating on routes that Montenegrin carriers may be unable to cover continuously.
As a result, part of the logistics margin could shift from domestic carriers to foreign fleets even when Montenegrin trucks remain available. The planned protest would intensify a dispute that has developed over several months and could affect freight movements through EU border crossings if it goes ahead. For Montenegro’s road-haulage sector, international freight capacity is increasingly determined not only by trucks, permits and available drivers, but also by the number of Schengen working days remaining to each driver. Without a regulatory solution, the restriction on driver availability could become a lasting cost disadvantage for Montenegro’s trucking industry.
