When your truck is not allowed to move
Weekend, holiday and summer bans differ in every country and change with the calendar. Pick the countries on your route and the days you are driving, and see the blocked hours before you promise a delivery slot.
Dates
Vehicle
Most bans start at 7.5 t, Poland and Bulgaria at 12 t, Switzerland and Austria lower.
Countries on the route
| Poland | Germany | |
|---|---|---|
| Sun, 23/08 | 08:00–22:00 | 00:00–22:00 |
| Mon, 24/08 | Clear | Clear |
| Tue, 25/08 | Clear | Clear |
| Wed, 26/08 | Clear | Clear |
| Thu, 27/08 | Clear | Clear |
| Fri, 28/08 | 18:00–22:00 | Clear |
| Sat, 29/08 | 08:00–14:00 | 07:00–20:00 |
| Sun, 30/08 | 08:00–22:00 | 00:00–22:00 |
| Mon, 31/08 | Clear | Clear |
| Tue, 01/09 | Clear | Clear |
The rule in each country
Standing restrictions for a 40 t combination. Local and city rules exist on top of these.
| Country | From | Weekly ban | Summer extra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poland | 12 t | Sun 08:00–22:00 · public holiday 08:00–22:00 · day before a holiday 18:00–22:00 | Fri 18:00–22:00 · Sat 08:00–14:00 |
| Germany | 7.5 t | Sun 00:00–22:00 · public holiday 00:00–22:00 | Sat 07:00–20:00 |
| Czechia | 7.5 t | Sun 13:00–22:00 · public holiday 13:00–22:00 | Fri 17:00–21:00 · Sat 07:00–13:00 |
| Slovakia | 7.5 t | Sun 00:00–22:00 · public holiday 00:00–22:00 | — |
| Austria | 7.5 t | Sat 15:00–24:00 · Sun 00:00–22:00 · public holiday 00:00–22:00 | — |
| Hungary | 7.5 t | Sat 22:00–24:00 · Sun 00:00–22:00 · public holiday 00:00–22:00 · day before a holiday 22:00–24:00 | Sat 15:00–24:00 |
| Slovenia | 7.5 t | Sun 08:00–21:00 · public holiday 08:00–21:00 | Sat 08:00–13:00 |
| Croatia | 7.5 t | public holiday 14:00–23:00 | Sat 04:00–14:00 · Sun 12:00–23:00 |
| Italy | 7.5 t | Sun 09:00–22:00 · public holiday 09:00–22:00 | Sun 07:00–22:00 · Sat 08:00–16:00 |
| France | 7.5 t | Sat 22:00–24:00 · Sun 00:00–22:00 · public holiday 00:00–22:00 · day before a holiday 22:00–24:00 | Sat 07:00–19:00 |
| Luxembourg | 7.5 t | Sat 21:30–24:00 · Sun 00:00–21:45 · public holiday 00:00–21:45 | — |
| Switzerland | 3.5 t | Sun 00:00–24:00 · public holiday 00:00–24:00 · night ban 22:00–05:00 | — |
| Greece | 3.5 t | — | Fri 16:00–21:00 · Sun 15:00–22:00 |
| Bulgaria | 12 t | Sun 00:00–24:00 · public holiday 00:00–24:00 | — |
| Latvia | — | No general ban | — |
| Lithuania | — | No general ban | — |
| Estonia | — | No general ban | — |
| Belgium | — | No general ban | — |
| Netherlands | — | No general ban | — |
| Denmark | — | No general ban | — |
| Sweden | — | No general ban | — |
| Finland | — | No general ban | — |
| Norway | — | No general ban | — |
| Spain | — | No general ban | — |
| Portugal | — | No general ban | — |
| Romania | — | No general ban | — |
What dispatchers ask about driving bans
Do driving bans apply to an empty truck?
Yes. The bans are about the vehicle, not the cargo. An empty 40 t combination is banned on a German Sunday exactly like a loaded one, and running empty is not an excuse anyone accepts at a roadside check.
What is exempt from the Sunday ban?
Broadly the same list everywhere: fresh milk and dairy, meat and fish, perishable fruit and vegetables, live animals, newspapers, and combined transport runs to or from a terminal within a set radius. The exemption has to fit the whole load — one pallet of cheese does not free a truck of furniture.
Can I finish my journey if the ban starts while I am driving?
No. You must be parked before the ban begins. Plan the last stop with an hour in hand, because the parking near borders and terminals fills up long before the ban starts on a summer Saturday.
What does it cost to get caught?
A few hundred euros in most countries and the truck is stopped until the ban ends, which usually costs far more than the fine. In Austria and Switzerland the penalties and the enforcement are both harder.
Are the holiday bans the same everywhere?
No, and this is what catches people out. Each country bans on its own national holidays, so a truck can be free to run in Poland and stopped in Slovakia on the same day. Some countries also ban the evening before.
Does the ban depend on the road?
Sometimes. Germany and Austria ban on the whole network, Slovakia only on Class I roads, Romania restricts specific corridors, and several countries add city rules on top. Treat this calendar as the national picture and check the local rule for the last miles.