---
title: "Truck Driving Bans in Europe — Week 20, 2026-05-11 to 2026-05-17"
canonical: "https://nakordoni.eu/en/news/2026-05-11/traffic-bans-week-2026-20"
lang: "en"
type: "news"
source: "nakordoni.eu — live border queue data"
---

# Truck Driving Bans in Europe — Week 20, 2026-05-11 to 2026-05-17

11.05.2026 09:00    [Mira Kurhanska](https://nakordoni.eu/en/p/authors)     Editor: [Andrii Kurhanskyi](https://nakordoni.eu/en/p/authors)    Service Nakordoni.eu

This article covers a past period. [Current calendar of truck driving bans in Europe →](https://nakordoni.eu/en/for_truck_drivers/traffic_bans)

(image: Aerial view of highway junction, green forest, Netherlands)Shutterstock / contributor 301539971 (shutterstock-standard)

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## 12 Countries Enforce Truck Bans This Week — Ascension Day Disrupts Alpine Corridor

Week 20 (11–17 May 2026) brings **12 exceptional truck driving bans** across Europe, with the most severe disruptions on **Thursday 14 May (Ascension Day)** and **Sunday 17 May**. All bans apply to **goods vehicles (HGV/TIR)**; passenger vehicles, coaches, and often empty containers are exempt. This distinction is critical for professional drivers planning cross-border routes, especially through the Alpine corridor (A12 Inntal, A13 Brenner) where Switzerland and Austria enforce full-day bans on Ascension Day. Poland’s higher weight threshold (>12t) means lighter trucks can continue operating, unlike most other countries where >7.5t is the limit.

## Date-by-date breakdown

### Monday 11 May

| Country | Time | Applies to | Roads | Exemptions |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >7.5t | All motorways and expressways (Autobahnen & Schnellstraßen) | Perishable goods, live animals, combined transport |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All public roads nationwide | Urgent medical supplies, military |
| 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All roads | Same as Switzerland |

Routine night bans in Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. No exceptional restrictions today.

### Tuesday 12 May

| Country | Time | Applies to | Roads | Exemptions |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >7.5t | All motorways and expressways | Perishable goods, live animals, combined transport |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All public roads nationwide | Urgent medical supplies, military |
| 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All roads | Same as Switzerland |

No exceptional bans. Night restrictions continue as usual.

### Wednesday 13 May

| Country | Time | Applies to | Roads | Exemptions |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | **07:00–22:00**; 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >7.5t | All motorways and expressways | Perishable goods, live animals, combined transport |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All public roads nationwide | Urgent medical supplies, military |
| 🇫🇷 France | 22:00–24:00 | >7.5t | All roads nationwide | Perishable goods, livestock, fuel |
| 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All roads | Same as Switzerland |
| 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 21:30–24:00; 23:30–24:00 | >7.5t | All roads | Perishable goods, fuel |

**Austria enforces a 15-hour daytime ban (07:00–22:00)**, the first major restriction of the week. Drivers on the A12 Inntal or A13 Brenner must plan stops or detours.

### Thursday 14 May — Ascension Day

| Country | Time | Applies to | Roads | Exemptions |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | **00:00–22:00**; 22:00–24:00 | >7.5t | All motorways and expressways | Perishable goods, live animals, combined transport |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | **00:00–24:00** | >3.5t | All public roads nationwide | Urgent medical supplies, military |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | **00:00–22:00** | >7.5t | All federal roads and motorways | Fresh food, mail, empty containers, combined transport |
| 🇫🇷 France | **00:00–22:00** | >7.5t | All roads nationwide | Perishable goods, livestock, fuel |
| 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein | **00:00–24:00** | >3.5t | All roads | Same as Switzerland |
| 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | **00:00–21:45** | >7.5t | All roads | Perishable goods, fuel |

**Peak disruption day**: Switzerland and Liechtenstein enforce **full 24-hour bans**, while Austria, Germany, France, and Luxembourg impose near-full-day restrictions. The Alpine corridor (A12 Inntal, A13 Brenner) is effectively closed to trucks. Drivers must use rest areas or plan alternative routes through countries like [Slovenia or Hungary](https://nakordoni.eu/en/holidays), where no bans apply today.

### Friday 15 May

| Country | Time | Applies to | Roads | Exemptions |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >7.5t | All motorways and expressways | Perishable goods, live animals, combined transport |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All public roads nationwide | Urgent medical supplies, military |
| 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All roads | Same as Switzerland |

No exceptional bans. Night restrictions return to normal.

### Saturday 16 May

| Country | Time | Applies to | Roads | Exemptions |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00; **15:00–24:00** | >7.5t | All motorways and expressways | Perishable goods, live animals, combined transport |
| 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | **16:00–20:00** | >12t | Highways and selected national roads (I and II class) | Perishable goods, live animals, military |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All public roads nationwide | Urgent medical supplies, military |
| 🇫🇷 France | 22:00–24:00 | >7.5t | All roads nationwide | 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, transit with vignette |
| 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All roads | Same as Switzerland |
| 🇱🇺 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, combined transport, fuel |

Austria’s **Saturday afternoon ban (15:00–24:00)** affects key transit routes like the A12 Inntal and A13 Brenner. Bulgaria, Croatia, and Poland enforce pre-Sunday restrictions. Drivers should check rest areas along these corridors for parking availability.

### Sunday 17 May

| Country | Time | Applies to | Roads | Exemptions |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | **00:00–22:00**; 22:00–24:00 | >7.5t | All motorways and expressways | Perishable goods, live animals, combined transport |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | **00:00–24:00** | >3.5t | All public roads nationwide | Urgent medical supplies, military |
| 🇨🇿 Czech Republic | **13:00–22:00** | >7.5t (or >3.5t with trailer) | Motorways, expressways, and 1st class roads | Perishable goods, live animals, fuel |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | **00:00–22:00** | >7.5t | All federal roads and motorways | Fresh food, mail, empty containers, combined transport |
| 🇫🇷 France | **00:00–22:00** | >7.5t | All roads nationwide | 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, transit with vignette |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | **09:00–22:00** | >7.5t | All roads outside urban areas | Perishable goods, live animals, fuel, ATP certificate |
| 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein | **00:00–24:00** | >3.5t | All roads | Same as Switzerland |
| 🇱🇺 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, combined transport, fuel |
| 🇷🇴 Romania | **06:00–22:00** | >7.5t | National roads DN1, DN7, and selected highways | Perishable goods, dangerous goods (ADR), TEN-T transit |
| 🇸🇮 Slovenia | **08:00–22:00** | >7.5t | Motorways and expressways | Perishable goods, live animals, dangerous goods (ADR) |
| 🇸🇰 Slovakia | **00:00–22:00** | >7.5t (or >3.5t with trailer) | All roads | Perishable goods, live animals, fuel, combined transport (00:00–06:00) |

**Widespread Sunday bans** affect 12 countries, with Switzerland and Liechtenstein enforcing **full 24-hour closures**. The Alpine corridor remains a critical bottleneck. Drivers should prioritize rest stops or plan routes through countries with shorter ban windows (e.g., Czech Republic 13:00–22:00).

## Country-by-country rules & penalties

### 🇦🇹 Austria

Weight: >7.5t | Roads: All motorways and expressways (Autobahnen & Schnellstraßen) | Recurring pattern: Saturdays 15:00–24:00, Sundays & holidays 00:00–22:00 | Penalties: €150–€5,000

Exemptions: Perishable goods, live animals, combined transport, vehicles in direct transit to/from rail terminals. A12 Inntal & A13 Brenner have additional Saturday 07:00–15:00 bans towards Italy/Germany.

### 🇩🇪 Germany

Weight: >7.5t | Roads: All federal roads and motorways (Bundesstraßen & Autobahnen) | Recurring pattern: Sundays & public holidays 00:00–22:00 | Penalties: €75–€525

Exemptions: Fresh food, mail, empty containers returning to base, combined transport. Summer bans (Jul–Aug) apply Saturdays 07:00–20:00 on selected motorways.

### 🇫🇷 France

Weight: >7.5t | Roads: All roads nationwide | Recurring pattern: Saturdays 22:00–Sunday 22:00 | Penalties: €135–€750

Exemptions: Perishable goods, livestock, fuel, humanitarian shipments. Holiday eves (e.g., Ascension Day) trigger 22:00–24:00 bans.

### 🇮🇹 Italy

Weight: >7.5t | Roads: All roads outside urban areas (extraurbane) | Recurring pattern: Sundays & holidays 09:00–22:00 (winter), 07:00–22:00 (summer) | Penalties: €419–€1,682

Exemptions: Perishable goods, live animals, fuel, newspapers, postal deliveries, vehicles with ATP certificate.

### 🇨🇭 Switzerland

Weight: >3.5t | Roads: All public roads nationwide | Recurring pattern: Sundays & holidays 00:00–24:00, night ban 22:00–05:00 daily | Penalties: CHF 100–10,000

Exemptions: Very limited (urgent medical supplies, military). Most cargo has no exemption.

### 🇵🇱 Poland

Weight: >12t | Roads: All public roads | Recurring pattern: Sundays & 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. Summer (Jun–Sep) adds Friday 18:00–22:00 and Saturday 08:00–14:00 bans.

### 🇨🇿 Czech Republic

Weight: >7.5t (or >3.5t with trailer) | Roads: Motorways, expressways, and 1st class roads | Recurring pattern: Sundays & 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 & holidays 00:00–22:00 | Penalties: €150–€1,500

Exemptions: Perishable goods, live animals, fuel, combined transport (00:00–06:00).

### 🇸🇮 Slovenia

Weight: >7.5t | Roads: Motorways and expressways | Recurring pattern: Sundays & holidays 08:00–21:00 | Penalties: €500–€2,000

Exemptions: Perishable goods, live animals, dangerous goods (ADR).

### 🇭🇺 Hungary

Weight: >7.5t | Roads: All public roads | Recurring pattern: Sundays & holidays 06:00–22:00 (April–September) | Penalties: HUF 30,000–300,000

Exemptions: Perishable goods, live animals, vehicles in transit with valid Hungarian motorway vignette.

### 🇱🇺 Luxembourg

Weight: >7.5t | Roads: All roads | Recurring pattern: Sundays & holidays, direction-specific bans | Penalties: €50–€500

Exemptions: Perishable goods, fuel.

### 🇭🇷 Croatia

Weight: >7.5t (or trailers >14m) | Roads: Selected main roads and motorways | Recurring pattern: Sundays & holidays 14:00–23:00 | Penalties: HRK 3,000–15,000

Exemptions: Perishable goods, live animals, fuel, humanitarian transport.

### 🇧🇬 Bulgaria

Weight: >12t | Roads: Highways and selected national roads (I and II class) | Recurring pattern: Public holidays all day, day before 16:00–20:00 | Penalties: BGN 500–2,000

Exemptions: Perishable goods, live animals, military, diplomatic vehicles. Uses Orthodox Easter calendar.

### 🇷🇴 Romania

Weight: >7.5t | Roads: National roads DN1, DN7, and selected highways | Recurring pattern: Weekends & public holidays | Penalties: RON 3,000–9,000

Exemptions: Perishable goods, dangerous goods (ADR), vehicles in international transit on TEN-T corridors. Uses Orthodox Easter calendar.

## Plan Your Route

1. **Check ban timing before departure**: Ascension Day (14 May) and Sunday (17 May) are the most critical days. Use [nakordoni.eu’s interactive calendar](https://nakordoni.eu/en/for_truck_drivers/traffic_bans) to filter by country and date. 2. **Use rest areas during bans**: Switzerland’s full-day bans leave few options—plan stops in advance using [our truck parking map](https://nakordoni.eu/en/for_truck_drivers/parkings) (19,000+ locations). 3. **Alternative routes**: For Alpine transit, consider detours through Slovenia or Hungary on 14 May, where no bans apply. Poland’s >12t threshold may offer flexibility for lighter trucks. 4. **Buffer time near borders**: Luxembourg’s direction-specific bans (e.g., 21:30–24:00 towards Germany) require precise timing. Allow extra time for border crossings.

## Useful Tools for Truck Drivers

- [Interactive Traffic Bans Calendar](https://nakordoni.eu/en/for_truck_drivers/traffic_bans) — full ban schedule with filters
- [Live Traffic Incidents Map](https://nakordoni.eu/en/for_truck_drivers/traffic) — real-time road closures and delays
- [Truck Parkings Map (19,000+)](https://nakordoni.eu/en/for_truck_drivers/parkings) — find parking during ban hours
- [Speed Cameras (48,000+)](https://nakordoni.eu/en/for_truck_drivers/speed_cameras) — radar and camera locations
- [European Vignettes & Tolls](https://nakordoni.eu/en/for_car_drivers/vignettes) — e-vignette prices for 9 countries
- [Truck Drivers Portal](https://nakordoni.eu/en/for_truck_drivers) — all tools in one place
- [European Holidays Calendar](https://nakordoni.eu/en/holidays) — public holidays affecting truck bans

Source: [nakordoni.eu — Truck Traffic Bans Calendar](https://nakordoni.eu/en/for_truck_drivers/traffic_bans) | Updated: 11.05.2026

This report is compiled automatically from our monitoring data; the analysis is written with the help of artificial intelligence. The editor is responsible for corrections.

Translated automatically from the Ukrainian original and checked by our editorial team. The Ukrainian version is authoritative.

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[Original source](https://nakordoni.eu/en/for_truck_drivers/traffic_bans?utm_source=nakordoni.eu)

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Updated 10.10.2026 07:25