Truck driving bans in Europe

Moritz Ruck21.01.2019 • 25 min

Table of contents

1. Quick overview
2. Special driving bans Austria
3. Special driving bans Belarus
4. Special driving bans Belgium
5. Special driving bans Bulgaria
6. Special driving bans Croatia
7. Special driving bans Czech Republic
8. Special driving bans Denmark
9. Special driving bans France
10. Special driving bans Germany
11. Special driving bans Greece
12. Special driving bans Great Britain
13. Special driving bans Hungary
14. Special driving bans Italy
15. Special driving bans Latvia
16. Special driving bans Luxembourg
17. Special driving bans Montenegro
18. Special driving bans Netherlands
19. Special driving bans Poland
20. Special driving bans Portugal
21. Special driving bans Romania
22. Special driving bans Russia
23. Special driving bans Switzerland
24. Special driving bans Slovakia
25. Special driving bans Slovenia
26. Special driving bans Spain
27. Special driving bans Turkey
28. Special driving bans Ukraine

Quick overview

No driving bans known in: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Ireland, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Malta, Macedonia, Moldova, Norway, Serbia, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Special driving bans Austria

• Driving ban on A12 Inntal and A13 Brenner (with destination Italy or beyond)
• Further driving bans on certain routes

Special driving bans Belarus

In Belarus, driving bans for motor vehicles >6 t single axle load apply on certain motorways from 21 May to 31 August between 11.00 and 08.00 o'clock with an outside temperature of over 25 °C. Vehicles which use the toll road network, which transport live animals, medicine or perishable food, which are active in connection with emergency operations, as well as vehicles in passenger traffic are exempted from this driving ban.

Special driving bans Belgium

In Belgium there are no general driving bans for lorries, but there is a driving ban for special transports with a width of more than 4 metres and a length of more than 30 metres on certain motorways (daily from 06.00 to 21.00). For special transports with more than 60 tons MAM, 3.50 meters width and 27 meters length a daily driving ban applies from 07.00 to 09.00 o'clock, as well as from 16.00 to 18.00 o'clock. In visibility below 200 meters, as well as in icy conditions and darkness, it is also forbidden for vehicles with oversize/-weight to drive on Belgian roads.

Special driving bans Bulgaria

Holiday travel ban

The holiday travel ban applies in the period from 01. June to 15. September on all Fridays from 17.00 to 20.00 o'clock and Sundays from 14.00 to 20.00 o'clock.

Additional driving bans

• Truck >15 t: I-5 (route: Tchernootchene - Kardjali)
• Truck >3,5 t: I-5 (route: Podkova - Makasa)
• Truck >12 t + >2 axles: II-81 (route: Petrohan-Pass) between 01.11. and 31.03.
• Truck >10 t: II-82 (route: Kostenez - Samokov)
• Trucks >4 t and >15 t: Parts of Sofia (daily from 07.00 to 21.00)
• Vehicles with oversizes/weights: visibility <50 meters, icey roads, darkness

Special driving bans Croatia

In Croatia, driving bans apply to trucks >7.5 t or >14 m + slower than 40 km/h on certain state and country road sections on public holidays between 14.00 and 23.00, on days before public holidays between 15.00 and 23.00. Additionally on Sundays from 12:00 to 23:00 if the national holiday or the last day of several consecutive national holidays falls on a Friday or Saturday; on Fridays from 15:00 to 23:00 if the national holiday falls on a Sunday or Monday. In addition, during the period from 15 June to 15 September, a driving ban applies on the main roads from 04:00 to 14:00 on Saturdays and from 12:00 to 23:00 on Sundays.

Additional driving restrictions

• Truck >7,5t: SR2 (route: Varazdin - Dubrava Krizovljanska (Sundays from 06.00 to 22.00))
• Transport of dangerous good: Only certain routes may be used

Special bans Czech Republic

In the Czech Republic there are no general driving bans on Sundays and public holidays, but from 13.00 to 22.00 o'clock for trucks >7.5 t on motorways, international roads and national roads of the 1st order.

Holiday travel ban

For trucks >7.5 t MAM there is a holiday travel ban on motorways, international roads and national roads of 1st order in the period from 01 July to 31 August:

• Fridays from 17.00 to 21.00 o'clock
• Saturdays from 07.00 to 13.00 o'clock
• Sundays from 13.00 to 22.00 o'clock

Special driving bans Denmark

• Truck >18 t: Copenhagen centre
• Transport of dangerous good: Öresund bridge (between 06.00 and 23.00 h (Cat. E), 23.00 and 06.00 h (Cat. B))
• Special transports (from 2,8m length): Telephone permission required
• Special transports (between 100 and 350 t, >4.5m width or max. speed <45km/h): Storebælt Bridge (over the Great Belt)

Special driving bans France

There is an exception to the Sunday and public holiday driving ban, the so-called "Corridor de Ghyvelde", for access to and departure from the Calais ferry port. This only includes the A16 from Calais to Belgium (border crossing: De Panne) and vice versa (attention: the A26 and A27 are excluded). Transport of dangerous goods is excluded from this derogation. The exemption applies in both directions to motor vehicles travelling between Great Britain and Belgium (international traffic which actually uses the ferry). In addition, as in Germany, a special regulation applies if the goods in question are live or perishable.

Holiday driving bans

The holiday driving bans apply on the following days:

Holiday travel ban

The holiday travel ban applies on all Saturdays in the period from 1 July to 31 August in the period from 07.00 o'clock to 19.00 o'clock. In addition on following Sundays from 00:00 to 22:00 o'clock (It may be driven between 19.00 and 24.00 o'clock!).

Special driving bans Germany

In addition to the driving bans on Sundays and public holidays, a holiday travel ban and regional night driving bans also apply.

Sunday and holiday driving bans

The holiday driving bans apply on the following days:

More detailed information on the ban on driving on Sundays and public holidays can be found at Bundesamt für Güterverkehr.

Holiday travel ban

The holiday travel ban applies on all Saturdays in the period from 01 July to 31 August in the period from 07.00 o'clock to 20.00 o'clock for certain loaded route sections. More detailed information can be obtained from Bundesamt für Justiz.

Special driving restrictions Greece

• Truck >1.5 t payload: Fridays from 14 June to 13 September 2019 on motorway sections from Athens and Thessaloniki (between 16:00 and 21:00 o'clock outbound); Sundays all year round (between 15:00 and 21:00/22:00 o'clock inbound).
• In summer time limited driving bans in Athens with smog possible

Special driving bans Great Britain

• Truck >18t on all roads managed by the London-Boroughs Transport Scheme (Mon to Fri from 21.00 to 07.00 o'clock on the following day, weekends from 13.00 o'clock on Saturday to 07.00 o'clock on Monday (derogations must be requested)).
• Car >18t on the Tower Bridge
• Further regional driving bans in the centres of some cities or in the countryside

Special driving bans Hungary

For trucks >7.5 t MAM from 01 July to 31 August an driving ban is valid from Saturday 15:00 o'clock to Sunday 22:00 o'clock, this driving ban is valid for all roads. The general driving ban (see table) does not apply to international truck traffic from emissions standards Euro-3 (or better) between 04 November and 01 March.

Special driving bans Italy

Driving bans apply to trucks from 7.5 t on Saturdays in the summer months from 6 July to 31 August 2019 between 08:00 and 16:00 o'clock (or 22:00 o'clock). The Sunday driving ban applies to trucks with more than 7.5 tons MAM in Italy generally from 09:00 to 22:00 o'clock. On Sundays in June, July, August and September the driving ban is valid from 07:00 to 22:00. For transport of dangerous good of class 1 (explosives and objects containing explosives), the driving ban applies between June and September on Saturdays from 08:00 to 24:00 on Sundays. In addition, as in Germany and France, a special regulation applies to live or perishable goods.

• More information on driving bans in Italy here.
• The driving ban calendar 2019 for Italy of the DSLV can be found here.

Special driving bans Latvia

Driving bans in Latvia apply to trucks >5 t on certain roads and bridges in Riga between Monday and Friday from 07.00 o'clock to 10.00 o'clock, and from 16.00 o'clock to 19.00 o'clock.

Special driving bans Luxembourg

Driving bans for transports (>7.5 t) from Belgium or Germany to France are available on Saturdays from 21.30 to 24.00, on Sundays and public holidays from 00.00 to 21.45 o'clock. Transports in the opposite direction to Germany are valid driving bans on Saturdays and days before a public holiday at 23.30 o'clock to Sundays or public holidays at 21.45 o'clock. There are also additional driving bans on certain routes. HGVs >3.5t may only use signposted roads in transit through Luxembourg and may not pass through the city of Luxembourg.

Special bans Montenegro

In Montenegro a driving ban is valid for trucks >5 t on the routes Podgorica-Cetinje-Budra, Podgorica-Petrovac-Bar and Podgorica-Kolasin between 15 July and 01 September always on Fridays and Sundays from 15.00 to 20.00 o'clock, as well as on Saturdays from 06.00 to 09.00 o'clock.

Special driving bans Netherlands

• Transport of dangerous good (tanks >3,000 litres or ADR goods): certain tunnels, weather conditions (visibility <200 metres)
• Transport of dangerous good (from certain quantities): visibility <50 meters, black ice
• Transports with oversize/-weight: During high traffic volume (06.00 to 10.00 o'clock and 15.00 to 20.00 o'clock)

Special driving bans Poland

Holiday driving bans

The holiday driving bans apply on the following days:

The driving bans on days before Sundays and public holidays is not valid on 24 and 31 December.

Holiday travel ban

For vehicles over 12 t gross vehicle weight, driving is prohibited from 28 June to 25 August 2019 (from the last Friday in June to the last Sunday before the start of the school year (beginning of September)) on all roads: Fridays from 18:00 to 22:00 o'clock, Saturdays from 08:00 to 14:00 o'clock, Sundays from 08:00 to 22:00 o'clock.

Additional driving restrictions

• Warsaw: Transit for trucks >16 t generally forbidden, delivery traffic is daily depending upon district from 07.00 to 10.00 o'clock and 16.00 to 20.00 o'clock forbidden
• Wroclaw: Driving bans for trucks >18 t from 06.00 to 09.00 o'clock, 13.00 to 19.00 o'clock and 22.00 to 04.00 o'clock
• Poznan: Driving bans for trucks >16 t from 07.00 to 09.00 o'clock and 14.00 to 18.00 o'clock
• More driving bans in other cities
• Possible temperature-related driving bans for trucks >12 t in the summer months

Special driving bans Portugal

Truck >2.6 t:

• Transit, loading & unloading bans in Lisbon (daily from 08.00 to 10.00 o'clock and 17.00 to 19.00 o'clock) and postage (daily from 14.00 to 19.00 o'clock)
• Permanent driving ban in the Gardunha tunnel (A23)

Transport of dangerous good:

• >3,5 t on best. Routes on Friday, Sunday, the day before a public holiday and on a public holiday from 18.00 to 21.00 o'clock
• Monday from 07.00 to 10.00 o'clock on access roads to Lisbon and Porto (except July and August)
• Daily on the bridge of 25 April from 05.00 to 02.00 o'clock

Special driving bans Romania

• Truck >7,5t: E60 (DN 1) (Route: Otopeni - Ploiesti, Ploiesti - Brasov (Monday to Thursday from 06.00 to 22.00 o'clock, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 00.00 to 24.00 o'clock); best. Sections of A2, DN7, DN39 and DN22C to be filled. Times (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (period: 01 July to 31 August) as well as public holidays)
• Transport of dangerous good: Driving bans on Saturdays and Sundays from 00.00 to 24.00 o'clock, additional night driving ban between 22.00 and 05.00 o'clock
• Driving Ban for Bucharest: car >5 t (zone A), car >7,5 t (zone B) between 01. July and 31. August from 07.00 to 20.00 h, and between 01. September and 30. June from 08.00 to 19.00 o'clock
• Driving bans due to heat: Temporary, temporary driving bans from 1 July for areas for which the national meteorological administration has issued the red and orange code warning. The driving ban applies to all trucks >7.5 t MAM between 10:00 and 21:00 o'clock on all motorways and national roads in the following Romanian areas: Mehedinţi, Gorj, Valcea, Dolj, Olt, Argeş, Teleorman, Giurgiu, Ilfov, Dâmboviţa, Prahova, Braşov, Covasna, Buzău, Ialomiţa, Călăraşi, Constanţa, Tulcea, Braila, Galaţi, Vrancea, Bacău, Vaslui, Neamţ , Suceava and Botosani. More info here.

Special driving bans Russia

• Trucks >12 t in Moscow inside and outside the Moscow Ring Road (MKAD) (daily from 06.00 to 22.00 o'clock and 24.00 o'clock (vehicles in international traffic are excluded))
• Truck >1 t within the Third Ring of Moscow (daily from 06.00 to 22.00 o'clock)
• Truck >3,5 t in St. Petersburg districts (daily from 00.00 to 24.00 o'clock)
• Truck >5 t in downtown Kazan (daily from 07.00 to 22.00 o'clock)

Special driving bans Switzerland

Swiss holidays and the respective cantons in which they apply can be found here.

Special driving bans Slovakia

Driving bans for trucks from >7.5 t or >3.5 t with trailer apply on Sundays and public holidays from 00.00 to 22.00 o'clock for class I roads. On class III roads, a permanent driving ban applies for trucks >12 t.

Special driving bans Slovenia

• Driving bans on Sundays, non-working days and public holidays from 08.00 to 21.00 o'clock on certain routes, and on Good Friday from 14.00 to 21.00 o'clock
• Additional seasonal summer holiday on the same sections (last weekend in June to first weekend in September on Saturdays from 08.00 to 13.00 o'clock and on Sundays, public holidays and non-working days from 08.00 to 21.00 o'clock)
• Permanently at the border crossings Secovlje, Socerga, Vinica, Rigonce, Gibina
• Driving ban in bad weather conditions

Special bans Spain

• Trucks >7.5 t on many national roads at certain times
• Transport of dangerous good: Sundays and public holidays from 08.00 to 24.00 o'clock, as well as the day before a public holiday (not Saturday) from 16.00 to 24.00 o'clock.

Special bans Turkey

• All trucks on Sundays and public holidays on many main roads, as well as daily on the Fatih-Sultan-Mehment-Bridge from 06.00 to 10.00 and 16.00 to 22.00 o'clock
• Transport of dangerous good from 06.00 to 02.00 o'clock
• On E5: between Edirne and Istanbul from 07.00 to 10.00 o'clock and in the opposite direction from 17.00 to 22.00 o'clock.
• General driving ban on the Bosporus Bridge
• Additional driving bans on certain routes

Special bans Ukraine

• Truck >4.5 t: Ring road around Kiev (07.00 to 20.00 o'clock)
• Boarding school. Transport of goods: entry to Kiev (17.00 to 10.00 o'clock); between 10.00 and 17.00 o'clock permitted only with CMR documents or TIR Carnet.
• Possible driving bans from June for motor vehicles >7 t single axle load or >24 t total load at over 28°C outdoor temperature

As truck driving bans are subject to frequent changes, the information provided here is without guarantee.
Last update: 21.01.2019