Audit and expert opinion
The carriage inspection at TÜV NORD ensures the roadworthiness of horse-drawn vehicles. An annual inspection is required by law for commercial vehicles, while a regular inspection every three years is recommended for private vehicles. After a successful inspection, the vehicles receive an FN sticker.
Horse-drawn vehicles used for the commercial transport of passengers or goods must undergo an annual technical safety inspection by officially recognised experts or test engineers. Such an inspection is also advisable for privately used horse-drawn vehicles - i.e. carriages or covered wagons - to ensure that the vehicle is roadworthy and complies with regulations. Here you can find out what you need to know as the owner of a carriage or covered wagon.
Every horse-drawn vehicle is accompanied by the FN carriage pass, which contains the following:
In addition, it must be noted in the FN vehicle pass whether the vehicle is authorised for commercial passenger transport.
To prepare your carriage or covered wagon for the carriage test, you should check the following points in advance:
If your carriage or covered wagon is being inspected for the first time, please contact one of our TÜV NORD carriage experts in good time or simply use our contact form to do so
He or she will explain to you what the test schedule looks like
The inspection usually takes place at your premises
Initial inspection: depending on effort, approx. 120 € basic price
Repeat inspection: currently € 62 (as of Oct. 2022)
Depending on the scope, size and equipment of the vehicle, the test takes around 30 minutes.
Call us on the free service telephone number 0800 80 70 600, fill in the form or send us an e-mail directly to verkehr@tuev-nord.de.
We will then forward your enquiry to the TÜV NORD expert in your region.
There is currently no legal obligation to do so
According to § 31 StVZO, the person driving must be suitable for driving a combination
This includes their professional qualification
However, the suitability does not require the driver to be in possession of a driving licence for motor vehicles or to acquire the FN driving badge class 3 or 4
Exception: providers of commercial carriage rides in Lower Saxony
TÜV NORD tip:
However, by acquiring the FN driving badge, you as the driver can prove your suitability if this becomes necessary in court, for example after an accident.
In the case of covered wagons and all carriages with insufficient all-round visibility for the driver or if the body obscures the driver, clearly visible, symmetrically mounted, yellow, type-approved, electrically operated flashing lights must be fitted as direction indicators on both sides of the carriage at the front, sides and rear for reasons of road safety; these lights must be operated from the driver's seat and can also be switched on as hazard warning lights.
For all other vehicles, it is sufficient to use an indicator trowel at least 500 mm long with a round red/white sign and a diameter of approx. 200 mm to indicate a change of direction.
If a vehicle does not have electrically operated direction indicators, the necessary direction indicators must be given manually by the driver or passenger using the indicator trowel.
As this can be difficult for other road users to recognise on covered wagons, electrically operated direction indicators are essential for road safety.