I’ve done a few runs in Europe but never done Germany, a friend of mine told me he’d been stopped in Germany in his 6x2 with big tanks on and he’d been nicked for importing fuel! Is this a common thing? He’d been told that if his vehicle had standard tanks it wouldn’t of been a problem but because of his “custom” tanks it was a different situation.
Has anyone else heard of this?
Been going on couple years now
Know someone donewith s&b tanks on scania and were fitted from new
I’ve been stopped in germany with s&b 1300 litre tanks. They only checked for the manufacturing plate s&b fixed on the inside of the drivers door and were fine with that.
I’ve been pulled in Germany in a truck with iirc 1500ltr tank fitted it may of been bigger than that , they didn’t give the tank a second look , all they wanted was driving licence and docs insurance etc,
How ever i got told that before Poland had open borders the German customs If you where not driving a polish registered lorry would dip your tanks and if you had over a certain amount they would fine you and syphon out the excess fuel from your tank before letting you continue,
One of our trucks was stopped earlier this year. It was a M.A.N. It was fitted with a standard 600 litre tank and also an additional 600 litre tank which was for a D.A.F.
The police werent happy about this.
We had to produce a letter from M.A.N in Denmark where the tank was fitted to say why they had fitted a D.A.F Tank. We now also have to carry this letter in the German,Danish & English language.
They don’t like after market tanks apparently.
Aye, one of ours got clobbered with a fine for a none standard tank, paid by the boss.
He’s sorted something out since then and there has been no repeat of the problem.
All our trucks have 550l after market tanks, fitted by Merc before they arrive on the fleet. It’s a strange ‘thing’ to get so narked about. After all, with the price of diesel being so high, no-one is going to have a shoddily made tank fitted, are they? You can’t afford to dump a tank full of diesel because a tank failed. And neither Merc, nor MAN who was our main supplier before Merc, are going to fit a shoddy tank to one of their trucks. It would be bad for their reputation I’d have thought.
Probably more to do with if you had smaller standard tank a good chance you
Will have to buy german fuel therefore more fuel duty for them
I think it’s more to do with vehicle type approval. We got stopped last year on the way to the Nürburgring. They checked all the bikes and two lads got advisories for non-standard exhausts. They were told later the fines are quite steep and were lucky■■?
Harks back to the good/bad old days of fuel limits . Before it became a euro free for all. Having said that, i thought we were all in europe now. Mmmmm Germany making up laws to suit itself.Surely not. 
According to THIS ARTICLE (Google translate is your friend chaps, as I can’t be arsed), the Düsseldorf tax office has adjourned the prosecution of a German Spedition for “tax evasion” due to having after market tanks fitted.
The Spediteur has lodged an appeal, so the tax office have put the case on hold and have approached the European court for a definitive ruling on the matter.
Our European overlords are still having canapés on the croquet lawn whilst pondering their decision.
So if bothered by the German plod tell them politely to Foxtrot Oscar whilst quoting “Az.: 4 K 3691/12 VE” at them, which is the Aktenzeichen (Reference number) of the case.
German officialdom loves a good Aktenzeichen, so they will be mightily impressed and should back off unless your tanks are held on with gaffer tape
440Mopar:
Mmmmm Germany making up laws to suit itself.Surely not.
+1… Perhaps they’d like to have a go sticking their rules as well…