Abstract: A method for classifying vehicles passing a predetermined waypoint, for a refined classification within specific vehicle categories such as tracked or wheeled vehicle categories, where the distance to the vehicle passing the waypoint is continuously actively optically measured along a measuring line extending through the waypoint, from a fixed measuring location disposed transversely on the side of the road, and the speed of the vehicle passing the waypoint is additionally measured. The spatial distance between the measured values in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the vehicle is determined from the vehicle speed and the measuring frequency, and a measurement profile of the undercarriage of the vehicle is created by plotting the measured values spaced at the specific spatial distance in the direction of the longitudinal axis.