Two heavy ban days dominate Week 31: Saturday 1 August and Sunday 2 August
Sixteen countries apply truck driving bans (Fahrverbot) between 29 July and 4 August 2026. Only two days carry exceptional, full-day or holiday-specific restrictions: Saturday 1 August, with daytime bans in 14 countries and Swiss National Day, and Sunday 2 August, with daytime or full-day bans in 15 countries. The remaining days — Wednesday, Thursday, Monday and Tuesday — carry only the routine nightly ban of 22:00–05:00 in Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. That night window applies every night of the year and should not be planned for as an exception. Friday 31 July adds three summer-season afternoon windows in the Czech Republic, Italy and Greece. Full dates, times and filters are available in the truck driving bans calendar in Europe 2026.
All restrictions listed here apply to goods vehicles (HGV/TIR). Passenger cars, coaches and buses are not affected, and several countries — including Germany and Poland — also exempt empty containers or empty vehicles returning to base. For drivers planning cross-border routes, the practical impact is on scheduling: a ban does not stop the tachograph clock, so a blocked Saturday afternoon must be converted into a planned rest period. Use the EU tachograph calculator to confirm that the forced standstill still fits your driving time limits, and review overall truck bans across Europe before dispatch.
Date-by-date breakdown
Wednesday 29 July and Thursday 30 July
| 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: urgent medical, military |
| Liechtenstein | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All roads | Same as Switzerland |
These are routine night bans only. Austria truck driving bans at night apply on the A12 Inntal, A13 Brenner and A14 corridors, so a late arrival at the Brenner must be parked before 22:00.
Friday 31 July
| 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 |
| Czech Republic | 17:00–21:00 | >7.5t (or >3.5t with trailer) | Motorways, expressways, 1st class roads | Perishable goods, live animals, fuel, mail |
| Greece | 15:00–22:00; 16:00–21:00 | >3.5t | Selected national highways and toll roads | Perishable goods, fuel, essential supplies |
| Italy | 16:00–22:00 | >7.5t | Roads outside urban areas | Perishable goods, live animals, ATP vehicles |
| 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 | Same as Switzerland |
The Czech Friday window is a summer measure that runs only in July and August. In Italy, the 16:00–22:00 window covers all roads outside urban areas, so local detours do not help.
Saturday 1 August — Swiss National Day
| Country | Time | Applies to | Roads | Exemptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | 00:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All public roads | Very limited: urgent medical, military |
| Austria | 00:00–05:00; 07:00–15:00 (A12/A13); 08:00–15:00; 15:00–24:00 | >7.5t | Motorways and expressways | Perishable goods, live animals, rail terminal traffic |
| Germany | 07:00–20:00 | >7.5t | Selected motorways and federal roads | Fresh food, mail, empty containers, combined transport |
| France | 07:00–19:00 | >7.5t | All roads nationwide | Perishable goods, livestock, fuel |
| Italy | 08:00–22:00 | >7.5t | Roads outside urban areas | Perishable goods, fuel, newspapers, ATP vehicles |
| Slovakia | 07:00–19:00 | >7.5t (or >3.5t with trailer) | All roads | Perishable goods, combined transport, fuel |
| Slovenia | 06:00–16:00; 08:00–13:00 | >7.5t | Motorways and expressways | Perishable goods, live animals, ADR |
| Czech Republic | 07:00–13:00 | >7.5t (or >3.5t with trailer) | Motorways, expressways, 1st class roads | Perishable goods, fuel, mail |
| Hungary | 15:00–24:00 | >7.5t | All public roads | Perishable goods, live animals, transit with vignette |
| Croatia | 15:00–23:00 | >7.5t (or trailers >14m) | Selected main roads and motorways | Perishable goods, live animals, fuel |
| Greece | 08:00–22:00; 08:00–16:00 | >3.5t | Selected national highways and toll roads | Perishable goods, fuel |
| Bulgaria | 16:00–20:00 | >12t | Highways, I and II class roads | Perishable goods, live animals, diplomatic |
| Poland | 18:00–22:00 | >12t | All public roads | Perishable goods, combined transport, empty vehicles |
| Luxembourg | 21:30–24:00; 23:30–24:00 | >7.5t | All roads (direction-specific) | Perishable goods, fuel |
| Liechtenstein | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All roads | Same as Switzerland |
The real hotspot is the Alpine corridor. Switzerland truck driving bans run a full 24 hours on Swiss National Day, with almost no cargo exemptions, and Liechtenstein truck driving bans follow the same regime. In Austria, the A12 Inntal and A13 Brenner carry an additional 07:00–15:00 Saturday ban towards Italy and Germany, on top of the general 15:00–24:00 window. Transit from Bavaria to Verona is therefore effectively blocked for most of the day. In Germany, the summer ban (Ferienreiseverordnung) applies on selected motorways only, not the entire network; the LKW-Maut still applies on every kilometre driven, and costs can be checked with the German LKW-Maut calculator.
Sunday 2 August
| Country | Time | Applies to | Roads | Exemptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | 00:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All public roads | Very limited |
| Liechtenstein | 00:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All roads | Very limited |
| Austria | 00:00–22:00; 22:00–24:00 | >7.5t | Motorways and expressways | Perishable goods, combined transport |
| Germany | 00:00–22:00 | >7.5t | All federal roads and motorways | Fresh food, mail, empty containers |
| France | 00:00–22:00 | >7.5t | All roads nationwide | Perishable goods, livestock, fuel |
| Slovakia | 00:00–22:00 | >7.5t (or >3.5t with trailer) | All roads | 00:00–06:00 general exemption for perishables |
| Hungary | 00:00–22:00 | >7.5t | All public roads | Perishable goods, live animals |
| Luxembourg | 00:00–21:45 | >7.5t | All roads | Perishable goods, fuel |
| Czech Republic | 13:00–22:00 | >7.5t (or >3.5t with trailer) | Motorways, expressways, 1st class roads | Perishable goods, fuel, mail |
| Italy | 07:00–22:00 | >7.5t | Roads outside urban areas | Perishable goods, ATP vehicles |
| Slovenia | 08:00–22:00 | >7.5t | Motorways and expressways | Perishable goods, ADR |
| Poland | 08:00–22:00 | >12t | All public roads | Perishables, fuel, mail, empty vehicles |
| Romania | 06:00–22:00 | >7.5t | DN1, DN7 and selected highways | Perishables, ADR, TEN-T international transit |
| Croatia | 14:00–23:00 | >7.5t (or trailers >14m) | Selected main roads and motorways | Perishable goods, fuel |
| Greece | 08:00–22:00; 10:00–22:00; 16:00–23:00 | >3.5t | Selected national highways and toll roads | Perishable goods, fuel |
Sunday is the widest ban day of the week. Note the weight thresholds: traffic bans in Poland and the Bulgarian rules use a >12t threshold, so a 10-tonne vehicle may legally continue there, while the same vehicle would be stopped in Germany, Austria or Hungary at >7.5t and in Switzerland at >3.5t. Romanian restrictions are route-based (DN1, DN7), not nationwide.
Monday 3 August and Tuesday 4 August
| Country | Time | Applies to | Roads | Exemptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >7.5t | Motorways and expressways | Perishable goods, 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 | Same as Switzerland |
Routine night bans only. Both days are open for normal daytime transit across the rest of Europe.
Country-by-country rules and penalties
Austria
Weight: >7.5t | Roads: motorways and expressways | Pattern: Saturdays 15:00–24:00, Sundays and holidays 00:00–22:00 | Penalties: €150–€5,000
Exemptions: perishable goods, live animals, combined transport, direct traffic to and from rail terminals. A12/A13 carry extra Saturday and night restrictions.
Switzerland and Liechtenstein
Weight: >3.5t | Roads: all public roads | 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 only. Most cargo has no exemption.
Germany
Weight: >7.5t | Roads: federal roads and motorways | Pattern: Sundays and holidays 00:00–22:00, plus summer Saturdays 07:00–20:00 on selected motorways | Penalties: €75–€525
Exemptions: fresh food, mail, empty containers returning to base, combined transport.
France
Weight: >7.5t | Roads: all roads | Pattern: Saturdays 22:00 to Sundays 22:00 | Penalties: €135–€750
Exemptions: perishable goods, livestock, fuel, humanitarian shipments. France extends bans on peak summer departure weekends.
Italy
Weight: >7.5t | Roads: outside urban areas | Pattern: Sundays 07:00–22:00 in summer | Penalties: €419–€1,682
Exemptions: perishable goods, live animals, fuel, newspapers, postal deliveries, ATP-certified vehicles.
Poland
Weight: >12t | Roads: all public roads | Pattern: Sundays and holidays 08:00–22:00, pre-holiday Saturday 18:00–22:00, summer Fridays 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 and Slovakia
Weight: >7.5t, or >3.5t with trailer | Roads: CZ motorways, expressways and 1st class roads; SK all roads | Pattern: Sundays 13:00–22:00 (CZ) and 00:00–22:00 (SK) | Penalties: CZK 5,000–100,000; €150–€1,500
Exemptions: perishable goods, live animals, fuel, postal deliveries, combined transport. In Slovakia a general exemption applies 00:00–06:00.
Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia
Weight: >7.5t | Roads: HU all public roads, HR selected main roads, SI motorways and expressways | Penalties: HUF 30,000–300,000; HRK 3,000–15,000; €500–€2,000
Exemptions: perishable goods, live animals, ADR shipments in Slovenia, valid vignette transit in Hungary. The truck ban in Slovenia covers motorways only, while Croatia also restricts trailers over 14 m.
Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Luxembourg
Weight: BG >12t, RO >7.5t, GR >3.5t, LU >7.5t | Penalties: BGN 500–2,000; RON 3,000–9,000; €200–€2,000; €50–€500
Exemptions: perishable goods, live animals, fuel, ADR and TEN-T international transit in Romania. Greece truck driving bans concentrate on the Athens–Thessaloniki axis and the Patras corridor; Luxembourg applies different times per border direction.
Plan your route
Check the exact start time for each country before departure, not only the day. A vehicle that is legal in Poland at 09:00 on Sunday is already blocked in Slovakia and Hungary at the same hour.
Book parking in advance for Saturday afternoon and Sunday. Approaches to the Brenner, the Tauern and the German A3 and A8 fill early on summer weekends; the parkings map below shows capacity along the corridor.
Consider alternative routing through countries with higher thresholds or narrower windows. For vehicles between 7.5t and 12t, a route through the Czech Republic and Poland is often possible on days when Austria and Germany are closed. Compare the cost of the detour — distance, fuel and toll — with the trip cost calculator before committing.
Allow buffer time near every border crossing. Ban end times at 22:00 create a surge of departures, and wait times at the first crossing after the ban rise significantly.
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: 29.07.2026