Week 39: holiday bans in Bulgaria, full Sunday restrictions in 14 countries
Truck driving bans apply in 15 European countries between Monday 21 and Sunday 27 September 2026. Routine nightly bans (22:00–05:00) in Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein apply every night, so they are not included in the headline count. Without them, the week has 24 country-day ban windows: 2 in Bulgaria for its national holiday, 8 on Saturday and 14 on Sunday. Check every window in the truck driving bans calendar in Europe 2026 before departure.
Monday to Friday are light days on most routes. The heavy days are Tuesday 22 September in Bulgaria and the weekend of 26–27 September, when almost every major transit country closes its roads to heavy goods vehicles. All bans apply to goods vehicles (HGV/TIR) only. Passenger vehicles and coaches are not affected, and empty vehicles or containers are often exempt. Weight thresholds are different by country. Most countries ban trucks above 7.5t. Switzerland and Liechtenstein start at 3.5t. Poland and Bulgaria apply the ban only above 12t, so trucks between 7.5t and 12t can drive there during ban hours. The real hotspot is the Alpine corridor: the A12 Inntal and A13 Brenner motorways in Austria carry an extra Saturday ban on top of the national rules.
Date-by-date breakdown
21 September — Monday
| 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 |
| Bulgaria | 16:00–20:00 | >12t | Highways, I and II class roads | Perishable goods, live animals, military, diplomatic |
| 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 |
Monday is Federal Fast Monday in parts of Switzerland, but the data shows only the normal night ban. The only exceptional window is in Bulgaria: 16:00–20:00 for trucks over 12t, on the day before Independence Day.
22 September — Tuesday
| 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 |
| Bulgaria | 00:00–24:00 | >12t | Highways, I and II class roads | Perishable goods, live animals, military, diplomatic |
| 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 |
Bulgarian Independence Day brings a full-day ban (00:00–24:00) for trucks over 12t on highways and I and II class roads. Drivers going to Turkey, Greece or Romania via Bulgaria should plan to wait or to cross before Monday 16:00.
23 September — Wednesday
| 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 |
Slovenian Sports Day is not a truck ban day. Only the routine night bans apply.
24 September — Thursday
| 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 |
Saint Rupert's Day in Salzburg does not add any truck driving ban. Only the night regime applies.
25 September — Friday
| 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 before the weekend. Use it to cross the Alps and reach your weekend parking.
26 September — Saturday
| Country | Time | Applies to | Roads | Exemptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 07:00–15:00 (A12/A13); 15:00–24:00; night 00:00–05:00 | >7.5t | Motorways and expressways | Perishable goods, live animals, combined transport |
| Bulgaria | 16:00–20:00 | >12t | Highways, I and II class roads | Perishable goods, live animals |
| Switzerland | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All public roads | Very limited |
| France | 22:00–24:00 | >7.5t | All roads | Perishable goods, livestock, fuel |
| Croatia | 15:00–23:00 | >7.5t or trailers >14m | Selected main roads and motorways | Perishable goods, live animals, fuel |
| Hungary | 22:00–24:00 | >7.5t | All public roads | Perishable goods, live animals |
| Italy | 07:00–15:00 | >7.5t | Roads outside urban areas | Perishable goods, live animals, fuel, ATP vehicles |
| Liechtenstein | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All roads | Very limited |
| Luxembourg | 21:30–24:00; 23:30–24:00 | >7.5t | All roads | Perishable goods, fuel |
| Poland | 18:00–22:00 | >12t | All public roads | Perishable goods, live animals, empty vehicles returning |
Saturday is the critical day on the Brenner route. In Austria truck driving bans cover the A12 Inntal and A13 Brenner from 07:00 to 15:00 (towards Italy and Germany), and the national ban follows from 15:00. On the Italian side, the truck ban in Italy for 2026 applies 07:00–15:00 on roads outside urban areas. In practice, there is no legal window to cross the Brenner on Saturday daytime. Croatia bans trucks from 15:00 to 23:00. Poland bans trucks over 12t from 18:00 to 22:00. The Sunday bans in France, Hungary and Luxembourg truck driving bans start on Saturday evening.
27 September — Sunday
| Country | Time | Applies to | Roads | Exemptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 00:00–22:00; night 22:00–24:00 | >7.5t | Motorways and expressways | Perishable goods, live animals, combined transport |
| Switzerland | 00:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All public roads | Very limited |
| Czech Republic | 13:00–22:00 | >7.5t or >3.5t with trailer | Motorways, expressways, 1st class roads | Perishable goods, live animals, fuel, mail |
| Germany | 00:00–22:00 | >7.5t | Autobahnen and Bundesstraßen | Fresh food, mail, empty containers, combined transport |
| France | 00:00–22:00 | >7.5t | All roads | Perishable goods, livestock, fuel |
| Croatia | 14:00–23:00 | >7.5t or trailers >14m | Selected main roads and motorways | Perishable goods, live animals, fuel |
| Hungary | 00:00–22:00 | >7.5t | All public roads | Perishable goods, live animals |
| Italy | 07:00–22:00 | >7.5t | Roads outside urban areas | Perishable goods, live animals, fuel, ATP vehicles |
| Liechtenstein | 00:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All roads | Very limited |
| Luxembourg | 00:00–21:45 | >7.5t | All roads | Perishable goods, fuel |
| Poland | 08:00–22:00 | >12t | All public roads | Perishable goods, live animals, fuel, mail |
| Romania | 06:00–22:00 | >7.5t | DN1, DN7, selected highways | Perishable goods, ADR, TEN-T transit |
| Slovenia | 08:00–22:00 | >7.5t | Motorways and expressways | Perishable goods, live animals, ADR |
| Slovakia | 06:00–22:00 | >7.5t or >3.5t with trailer | All roads | Perishable goods, combined transport, live animals |
Sunday is the heaviest day of the week, with 14 countries restricted. Switzerland truck driving bans and Liechtenstein truck driving bans last the full 24 hours for vehicles over 3.5t. Germany closes Autobahnen and Bundesstraßen 00:00–22:00. Slovakia, Romania and Slovenia also apply daytime bans. The Czech summer holiday truck ban on Fridays ended in August, so the Czech Republic now has only the Sunday window 13:00–22:00.
Country-by-country rules & penalties
Austria
Weight: >7.5t | Roads: Motorways and expressways (Autobahnen & Schnellstraßen) | Recurring pattern: Saturdays 15:00–24:00, Sundays and holidays 00:00–22:00; A12/A13 extra Saturday ban 07:00–15:00; night ban 22:00–05:00 on A12/A13/A14 | Penalties: €150–€5,000
Exemptions: perishable goods, live animals, combined transport, vehicles in direct transit to or from rail terminals.
Germany
Weight: >7.5t | Roads: Bundesstraßen and Autobahnen | Recurring pattern: Sundays and public holidays 00:00–22:00 | Penalties: €75–€525
Exemptions: fresh food, mail, empty containers returning to base, combined transport. Motorway toll (LKW-Maut) costs can be checked with the German LKW-Maut calculator.
France
Weight: >7.5t | Roads: All roads | Recurring pattern: Saturday 22:00 to Sunday 22:00 | Penalties: €135–€750
Exemptions: perishable goods, livestock, fuel, humanitarian shipments.
Italy
Weight: >7.5t | Roads: Roads outside urban areas | Recurring pattern: Sundays and holidays, 07:00–22:00 in summer | Penalties: €419–€1,682
Exemptions: perishable goods, live animals, fuel, newspapers, postal deliveries, ATP vehicles.
Hungary
Weight: >7.5t | Roads: All public roads | Recurring pattern: Sundays and holidays; Saturday 22:00 start | Penalties: HUF 30,000–300,000
Exemptions: perishable goods, live animals, transit vehicles with a valid Hungarian e-vignette.
Czech Republic
Weight: >7.5t or >3.5t with trailer | Roads: Motorways, expressways, 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 | Penalties: €150–€1,500
Exemptions: perishable goods and combined transport (00:00–06:00 general exemption), live animals, fuel.
Slovenia
Weight: >7.5t | Roads: Motorways and expressways | Recurring pattern: Sundays and holidays | Penalties: €500–€2,000
Exemptions: perishable goods, live animals, ADR goods.
Switzerland
Weight: >3.5t | Roads: All public roads | 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, military).
Liechtenstein
Weight: >3.5t | Roads: All roads | Recurring pattern: Same as Switzerland | Penalties: CHF equivalent fines
Exemptions: same as Switzerland, very limited.
Luxembourg
Weight: >7.5t | Roads: All roads | Recurring pattern: Sundays and holidays, with different times per border direction | Penalties: €50–€500
Exemptions: perishable goods, fuel.
Poland
Weight: >12t | Roads: All public roads | Recurring pattern: Sundays and holidays 08:00–22:00 | Penalties: PLN 500–10,000
Exemptions: perishable goods, live animals, combined transport, fuel, mail, humanitarian aid, empty vehicles returning to base.
Croatia
Weight: >7.5t or trailers >14m | Roads: Selected main roads and motorways | Recurring pattern: Sundays and holidays 14:00–23:00 | Penalties: HRK 3,000–15,000
Exemptions: perishable goods, live animals, fuel, humanitarian transport.
Bulgaria
Weight: >12t | Roads: Highways, I and II class roads | Recurring pattern: Holidays all day; day before 16:00–20:00 | Penalties: BGN 500–2,000
Exemptions: perishable goods, live animals, military, diplomatic vehicles.
Romania
Weight: >7.5t | Roads: DN1, DN7, selected highways | Recurring pattern: Weekends and holidays on selected routes | Penalties: RON 3,000–9,000
Exemptions: perishable goods, ADR goods, international transit on TEN-T corridors.
Plan Your Route
Check the ban times for every country on your route before departure. Brenner traffic should cross before Saturday 07:00 or wait until Sunday 22:00.
Plan your weekly rest period to cover the weekend ban. Use the EU tachograph calculator to align driving time and mandatory breaks with the ban windows.
Poland and Bulgaria ban only trucks over 12t, so lighter vehicles have more options there. Compare route alternatives and costs with the trip cost calculator.
Allow extra time near border crossings. Queues often grow when bans end on Sunday at 22:00.
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: 21.09.2026