Week 37: 25 exceptional truck driving ban windows in 15 countries
Between Monday 7 September and Sunday 13 September 2026, professional drivers face 25 exceptional truck driving ban windows across 15 European countries. This figure counts only full-day bans and holiday-related restrictions. It does not count the routine night bans from 22:00 to 05:00 that apply every single night in Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, because those windows are permanent and are not specific to this week. The heavy ban days are Monday 7 September (Bulgaria, full day), Tuesday 8 September (Liechtenstein, full day), Saturday 12 September (eight countries, afternoon and evening) and Sunday 13 September (fourteen countries). The full schedule with filters is available in the truck driving bans calendar in Europe 2026.
All restrictions listed here apply to goods vehicles (HGV/TIR) only. Passenger cars, coaches and buses are not affected, and in several countries empty containers or empty vehicles returning to base are also exempt. The countries are not equally affected. The real hotspots this week are the Alpine transit corridor in Austria truck driving bans — in particular the A12 Inntal and A13 Brenner route towards Italy and Germany — and the full 24-hour Sunday closure in Switzerland truck driving bans. Weight thresholds also differ. Poland applies its ban only to vehicles with a maximum permissible weight above 12 tonnes, so a 10-tonne truck may legally continue on Polish roads while the same vehicle would already be banned in Austria, Germany or France, where the threshold is above 7.5 tonnes. Switzerland and Liechtenstein are stricter still, starting at above 3.5 tonnes. Before departure, verify your remaining driving time and rest period with the EU tachograph calculator, because a ban window can force an unplanned stop that changes the whole shift.
Date-by-date breakdown
Monday 7 September — Unification Day (Bulgaria)
| Country | Time | Applies to | Roads | Exemptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | 00:00–24:00 | >12t | Highways and selected national roads (I and II class) | Perishable goods, live animals, military, diplomatic vehicles |
| Austria | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >7.5t | Motorways and expressways | Perishable goods, live animals, combined transport |
| Switzerland | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All public roads | Very limited: urgent medical supplies, military |
| Liechtenstein | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All roads | Same as Switzerland: very limited |
The only exceptional restriction on Monday is in Bulgaria, where Unification Day closes highways and I and II class national roads to vehicles over 12 tonnes for the entire day. The Austrian, Swiss and Liechtenstein entries are the standard night bans.
Tuesday 8 September
| Country | Time | Applies to | Roads | Exemptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liechtenstein | 00:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All roads | Very limited |
| Austria | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >7.5t | Motorways and expressways | Perishable goods, live animals, combined transport |
| Switzerland | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All public roads | Very limited |
A full-day national holiday ban applies in Liechtenstein truck driving bans from 00:00 to 24:00 for vehicles over 3.5 tonnes. Switzerland itself is not closed on this date, so transit via the Swiss network remains possible outside the night hours.
Wednesday 9 September
| Country | Time | Applies to | Roads | Exemptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >7.5t | Motorways and expressways | Perishable goods, live animals, combined transport |
| Switzerland | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All public roads | Very limited |
| Liechtenstein | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All roads | Very limited |
Routine night bans only. Daytime transit is open in all three countries.
Thursday 10 September — Geneva Prayday (cantonal)
| Country | Time | Applies to | Roads | Exemptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >7.5t | Motorways and expressways | Perishable goods, live animals, combined transport |
| Switzerland | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All public roads | Very limited |
| Liechtenstein | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All roads | Very limited |
Geneva Prayday (Jeûne genevois) is a cantonal holiday in the canton of Geneva. It does not trigger a nationwide Swiss daytime ban, so drivers transiting Basel, Zurich, Bern or the Gotthard axis are not affected. Expect local administrative and delivery constraints in the Geneva area only.
Friday 11 September
| Country | Time | Applies to | Roads | Exemptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >7.5t | Motorways and expressways | Perishable goods, live animals, combined transport |
| Switzerland | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All public roads | Very limited |
| Liechtenstein | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All roads | Very limited |
Friday is the last full working day of the week for long-distance transport. Use it to move as far as possible before the weekend restrictions begin.
Saturday 12 September
| Country | Time | Applies to | Roads | Exemptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 15:00–24:00 (plus 07:00–15:00 on A12/A13); night 22:00–05:00 | >7.5t | Motorways and expressways | Perishable goods, live animals, combined transport, rail terminal traffic |
| Italy | 07:00–15:00 | >7.5t | Roads outside urban areas (extraurbane) | Perishable goods, live animals, fuel, newspapers, postal, ATP vehicles |
| Croatia | 15:00–23:00 | >7.5t or trailers >14m | Selected main roads and motorways | Perishable goods, live animals, fuel, humanitarian transport |
| Bulgaria | 16:00–20:00 | >12t | Highways and selected national roads | Perishable goods, live animals, military, diplomatic |
| Poland | 18:00–22:00 | >12t | All public roads | Perishable goods, live animals, combined transport, fuel, mail, empty vehicles returning to base |
| Luxembourg | 21:30–24:00; 23:30–24:00 (direction-dependent) | >7.5t | All roads | Perishable goods, fuel |
| France | 22:00–24:00 | >7.5t | All roads nationwide | Perishable goods, livestock, fuel, humanitarian shipments |
| Hungary | 22:00–24:00 | >7.5t | All public roads | Perishable goods, live animals, transit with valid vignette |
| Switzerland | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All public roads | Very limited |
| Liechtenstein | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All roads | Very limited |
Saturday is the critical planning day. The Austrian A12 Inntal and A13 Brenner corridor is closed twice: first from 07:00 to 15:00 in the direction of Italy and Germany, then from 15:00 to 24:00 under the general Saturday ban on all motorways and expressways. In practice this leaves almost no legal transit window towards the Brenner pass, and parking capacity around Innsbruck and Kufstein fills early. Italy closes its extra-urban network from 07:00 to 15:00, so a driver leaving Germany or Austria in the morning cannot continue south. In Croatia the ban runs from 15:00 to 23:00 on selected main roads and motorways and also covers trailers longer than 14 metres. The French weekend ban starts at 22:00 and runs continuously until Sunday 22:00. In Luxembourg truck driving bans, the exact evening start time depends on the border direction, so check the corridor you intend to use. Note that in Poland the 18:00–22:00 pre-Sunday window applies only above 12 tonnes; the same rule produced the additional summer Saturday restrictions of 08:00–14:00 on Saturdays such as 29.08.26 during the June to September period.
Sunday 13 September
| Country | Time | Applies to | Roads | Exemptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | 00:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All public roads | Very limited: urgent medical supplies, military |
| Liechtenstein | 00:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All roads | Very limited |
| Austria | 00:00–22:00 (plus night 22:00–05:00) | >7.5t | Motorways and expressways | Perishable goods, live animals, combined transport |
| Germany | 00:00–22:00 | >7.5t | Federal roads and motorways | Fresh food, mail, empty containers returning to base, combined transport |
| France | 00:00–22:00 | >7.5t | All roads nationwide | Perishable goods, livestock, fuel, humanitarian shipments |
| Hungary | 00:00–22:00 | >7.5t | All public roads | Perishable goods, live animals, transit with valid vignette |
| Luxembourg | 00:00–21:45 | >7.5t | All roads | Perishable goods, fuel |
| Slovakia | 06:00–22:00 | >7.5t or >3.5t with trailer | All roads | Perishable goods, combined transport, live animals, fuel |
| Romania | 06:00–22:00 | >7.5t | DN1, DN7 and selected highways | Perishable goods, ADR dangerous goods, TEN-T international transit |
| Italy | 07:00–22:00 | >7.5t | Roads outside urban areas | Perishable goods, live animals, fuel, postal, ATP vehicles |
| Slovenia | 08:00–22:00 | >7.5t | Motorways and expressways | Perishable goods, live animals, ADR dangerous goods |
| Poland | 08:00–22:00 | >12t | All public roads | Perishable goods, live animals, combined transport, fuel, mail, humanitarian aid |
| Czech Republic | 13:00–22:00 | >7.5t or >3.5t with trailer | Motorways, expressways, 1st class roads | Perishable goods, live animals, fuel, postal, combined transport |
| Croatia | 14:00–23:00 | >7.5t or trailers >14m | Selected main roads and motorways | Perishable goods, live animals, fuel, humanitarian transport |
Sunday is the most restrictive day of the week. Switzerland and Liechtenstein are closed for the full 24 hours with almost no exemptions, so any Alpine plan must be built around Saturday evening or Monday morning. Germany closes federal roads and motorways from 00:00 to 22:00 for vehicles over 7.5 tonnes; if your route restarts on Sunday evening, estimate the road toll in advance with the German LKW-Maut calculator. The Czech Republic is the latest starter at 13:00, which makes a Sunday morning departure from Prague towards Slovakia partly usable, although Slovakia itself closes from 06:00. In Hungary the ban covers all public roads, not only motorways. On Romania's DN1 and DN7 the restriction is route-specific, and international transit on TEN-T corridors is exempt. The truck driving ban in Slovenia covers motorways and expressways from 08:00 to 22:00.
Country-by-country rules and penalties
Austria
Weight: >7.5t | Roads: all motorways and expressways | Recurring pattern: Saturdays 15:00–24:00, Sundays and holidays 00:00–22:00, night ban 22:00–05:00 on A12, A13 and A14 | Penalties: €150–€5,000
Exemptions: perishable goods, live animals, combined transport, vehicles in direct transit to or from rail terminals. Additional Saturday ban 07:00–15:00 on the A12 Inntal and A13 Brenner towards Italy and Germany.
Germany
Weight: >7.5t | Roads: federal roads and motorways | Recurring pattern: Sundays and public holidays 00:00–22:00 | Penalties: €75–€525
Exemptions: fresh food, mail, empty containers returning to base, combined transport. The summer ban (Ferienreiseverordnung) applies in July and August only.
France
Weight: >7.5t | Roads: all roads nationwide | Recurring pattern: Saturdays 22:00 to Sundays 22:00 | Penalties: €135–€750 (4th class)
Exemptions: perishable goods, livestock, fuel, humanitarian shipments. Holiday eves carry an additional 22:00–24:00 ban.
Italy
Weight: >7.5t | Roads: all roads outside urban areas | Recurring pattern: Sundays and holidays, typically 07:00–22:00 in summer and 09:00–22:00 in winter | Penalties: €419–€1,682
Exemptions: perishable goods, live animals, fuel, newspapers, postal deliveries, vehicles with an ATP certificate.
Switzerland
Weight: >3.5t | Roads: all public roads nationwide | Recurring pattern: Sundays and holidays 00:00–24:00, night ban 22:00–05:00 daily | Penalties: CHF 100–10,000
Exemptions: very limited — urgent medical supplies and military transport. Most cargo has no exemption.
Liechtenstein
Weight: >3.5t | Roads: all roads | Recurring pattern: identical to Switzerland | Penalties: fines in CHF equivalent
Exemptions: same as Switzerland — very limited.
Poland
Weight: >12t | Roads: all public roads | Recurring pattern: Sundays and public holidays 08:00–22:00, pre-holiday Saturdays 18:00–22:00 | Penalties: PLN 500–10,000
Exemptions: perishable goods, live animals, combined transport, fuel, mail, humanitarian aid, empty vehicles returning to base.
Czech Republic
Weight: >7.5t, or >3.5t with trailer | Roads: motorways, expressways and 1st class roads | Recurring pattern: Sundays and holidays 13:00–22:00 | Penalties: CZK 5,000–100,000
Exemptions: perishable goods, live animals, fuel, postal deliveries, combined transport.
Slovakia
Weight: >7.5t, or >3.5t with trailer | Roads: all roads | Recurring pattern: Sundays and holidays 00:00–22:00 | Penalties: €150–€1,500
Exemptions: general exemption 00:00–06:00 for perishable goods and combined transport, plus live animals and fuel.
Slovenia
Weight: >7.5t | Roads: motorways and expressways | Recurring pattern: Sundays and holidays 08:00–21:00, pre-holiday days from 14:00 | Penalties: €500–€2,000
Exemptions: perishable goods, live animals, dangerous goods with valid ADR documentation.
Hungary
Weight: >7.5t | Roads: all public roads | Recurring pattern: Sundays and holidays 06:00–22:00 from April to September | Penalties: HUF 30,000–300,000
Exemptions: perishable goods, live animals, vehicles in transit holding a valid Hungarian motorway vignette.
Croatia
Weight: >7.5t, or trailers over 14 m | Roads: selected main roads and motorways | Recurring pattern: Sundays and public holidays 14:00–23:00, pre-holiday days 15:00–23:00 | Penalties: HRK 3,000–15,000
Exemptions: perishable goods, live animals, fuel, humanitarian transport.
Luxembourg
Weight: >7.5t | Roads: all roads | Recurring pattern: Sundays and holidays, with direction-specific times on the German, French and Belgian border corridors | Penalties: €50–€500
Exemptions: perishable goods, fuel.
Bulgaria
Weight: >12t | Roads: highways and selected I and II class national roads | Recurring pattern: public holidays all day, day before holidays 16:00–20:00, day after holidays 14:00–20:00 | Penalties: BGN 500–2,000
Exemptions: perishable goods, live animals, military and diplomatic vehicles.
Romania
Weight: >7.5t | Roads: national roads DN1 and DN7 and selected highways | Recurring pattern: weekends and public holidays on selected routes | Penalties: RON 3,000–9,000
Exemptions: perishable goods, dangerous goods with valid ADR, vehicles in international transit on TEN-T corridors.
Plan Your Route
Check the exact ban times for every country on your route before departure, not after crossing the border. Times differ by several hours between neighbouring states, and a legal departure in the Czech Republic can end in an illegal entry into Austria on the same afternoon.
Reserve a parking place in advance for Saturday afternoon and Sunday. Rest areas along the A12, A13 and the German A3 and A8 fill several hours before the ban starts. Combining the ban window with your mandatory rest period is the most efficient use of the stop.
Consider alternative routing where the rules are less restrictive. A Sunday movement through the Czech Republic before 13:00 is legal, while Switzerland is closed for the full 24 hours. If your vehicle is between 7.5 and 12 tonnes, Polish roads remain open when Germany and Austria are closed.
Allow buffer time near border crossings, where queues build up as soon as a ban ends. Before quoting a job, calculate fuel, toll and total route expenses with the trip cost calculator, and compare the weekly picture in the overview of the traffic bans across Europe.
Useful Tools for Truck Drivers
- Interactive Traffic Bans Calendar — full ban schedule with filters
- Live Traffic Incidents Map — real-time road closures and delays
- Truck Parkings Map (19,000+) — find parking during ban hours
- Speed Cameras (48,000+) — radar and camera locations
- European Vignettes & Tolls — e-vignette prices for 9 countries
- Truck Drivers Portal — all tools in one place
- European Holidays Calendar — public holidays affecting truck bans
- German LKW-Maut Calculator — calculate motorway toll costs for HGV trucks
- EU Tachograph Calculator — verify driving time and mandatory break compliance
- Trip Cost Calculator — estimate fuel, toll and total trip expenses
Source: nakordoni.eu — Truck Traffic Bans Calendar | Updated: 07.09.2026