INSID in action for the first time. New type of inspection on Czech roads

1/7/2025Press releases

Starting today, the new Road Transport Inspection (INSID) will start checking compliance with the rules for freight and bus transport on Czech roads. The inspection was created by transforming the existing Road Transport Services Centre.

INSID in action for the first time. New type of inspection on Czech roads

The main change are bigger powers of inspectors, who can now stop vehicles without the involvement of the Police and the Customs Administration and impose sanctions on drivers. They can also better plan the location and focus of their inspections. They have received new inspection vehicles equipped with state-of-the-art technology.

"Road transport inspectors already operate independently without the assistance of police or customs officers. They will monitor mandatory breaks and rest periods for truck drivers, load securing, truck weight and will also detect tachograph fraud. In an issue is detected, the inspectors can impose fines or prevent further driving," said transport minister Martin Kupka.

INSID Director Lenka Ptáčková Melicharová commented on the new inspection: "We don't just want to control, we want to change the whole situation. Our inspectors are experts and I am sure that they will soon convince the public and carriers that their work makes sense. I believe that INSID will soon become an important partner and a respected authority."

INSID inspectors hit the roads across the Czech Republic on Tuesday 1 July 2025. There are 21 inspection teams in action checking vehicles not only on motorways, where there is the greatest concentration of transit, but also on lower-category roads in such places where municipalities have long been plagued by excessive truck traffic.

"We are setting off with new equipment and in a new mode: as a full-fledged control unit, without the assistance of the Police of the Czech Republic or the Customs Administration. We stand on the side of safe traffic and fair drivers," says Pavel Bergman, Director of the INSID Control Section, about the main changes.

"The first phase of our control action are motorways, where inspectors focus mainly on compliance with mandatory breaks and rest periods for drivers or tachograph fraud. They are supported by modern technology for remote transmission of tachograph data, which allows them to obtain key information without stopping the vehicle. The inspections also focus on freight securing and the current technical condition of the vehicles, especially in terms of road safety," Bergman added.

Municipalities and regions will help with targeting inspections

In the second phase of inspections, inspectors will also go roads of lower categories, to places that are burdened by excessive freight traffic. INSID has started its work with municipalities and regions to identify problem areas.

"Local governments are important partners for the inspection. Thanks to their suggestions, we can target controls exactly where they are most needed. That is why our inspectors are today, for example, near a stone mine, a large logistics park or in the Dobříš region, where trucks cut their journeys shorter between motorways," said Director Ptáčková Melicharová.

The mayor of Dobříš, Pavel Svoboda, was one of the first municipal representatives to actively cooperate with the Road Transport Inspection. With the help of the city police, the inspector identified several sites suitable for inspection work.

"Our city has long been plagued by transit freight traffic. Trucks cut their way through Dobříš between the D4 and D5 motorways, so we have to suffer the consequences: noise, roads degradation and safety hazards. That is why I so much welcome these inspections. I believe they will help ensure that only trucks that are qualified to drive on the streets of Dobříš will be present," said Pavel Svoboda, the mayor of Dobříš.

Low-speed weighing will be an important part of the checks as well. Each INSID inspection vehicle is equipped with mobile scales that allow each axle to be evaluated separately. This allows inspectors to find out if a vehicle is overloaded within a new minutes. If the driver refused to be weighed, the driver can be fined CZK 100,000.

Aleš Čermák, director of the Roads Maintenance Unit of the Central Bohemian Region, adds: "INSID inspections will play a key role in protecting Central Bohemia's category II and III roads and bridges. These roads were never designed for overloaded trucks. The trucks have been significantly damaging them, which increases repair costs and shortens the life of the bridges. We will support the collaboration with INSID as much as we can. We have the funds in place for the reconstruction and construction of checkpoints. We want to focus effective and targeted freight traffic controls primarily on routes used for bypassing Prague by transit," concludes Josef Pátek, Councillor for Road Transport of the Central Bohemian Region.

Road Transport Inspection (INSID)

•   Established on 1 July 2025 as a successor to the Road Transport Services Centre (CSPSD), established by the Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic.
•   The inspection is an independent state inspection office with a focus on freight and bus transport, and can carry out inspections independently without the presence of the Police of the Czech Republic or the Customs Administration.
•   The inspection has 26 mobile teams with nationwide coverage, including four special-purpose teams for checking emissions and the technical condition of vehicles.
•   Inspectors can impose a fine or collect a deposit on the spot, but they can also seize documents, remove the licence plate or prevent further driving.
•   The inspectors use technologies for remote data reading from smart tachographs while driving up to a distance of 150 metres.
•   They will now also use data from high-speed scales for targeted checks on possible overloading.
•   INSID mobile units are even energy self-sufficient: they use photovoltaics and their own power generator.
•   Municipalities can now apply for inspection and ideally offer a suitable site.

For more information about the Road Transport Inspection visit www.insid.gov.cz.
Media contact: Monika Balšánková, monika.balsankova@cspsd.cz, +420 724 224 640
Contact for municipalities: obce@insid.gov.cz