Two heavy ban days at the weekend, quiet midweek on the corridors
Week 36 of 2026 runs from Monday 31 August to Sunday 6 September. Sixteen countries appear in the truck driving bans calendar in Europe 2026 this week, but the load is very unevenly distributed. From Monday to Thursday only three countries restrict heavy goods traffic — Austria truck driving bans, Switzerland truck driving bans and Liechtenstein truck driving bans — and those are routine night bans (22:00–05:00) that apply every night of the year. They are not exceptional events and should not be counted as such when planning.
The genuinely exceptional windows fall on only two days: Saturday 5 September and Sunday 6 September, when 14 countries close motorways or all public roads to heavy goods vehicles during daytime hours. One short additional window appears on Friday evening in Greece truck driving bans. All restrictions described here apply to goods vehicles (HGV/TIR); passenger cars, coaches and buses are not affected, and several countries also exempt empty vehicles or empty containers returning to base. For a driver planning a cross-border route, this means the midweek section of the trip is effectively free of daytime restrictions, and the whole planning effort belongs at the weekend. Use the free days to build distance and schedule the weekly rest period so that it overlaps the Saturday and Sunday windows instead of wasting driving time.
Note on Tuesday 1 September: it is the Day of the Constitution of the Slovak Republic, a public holiday shown in the European holidays calendar. The ban dataset for this week records no additional daytime restriction on Slovak roads for that date, but Slovak rules normally apply a 00:00–22:00 ban on public holidays, so drivers crossing Slovakia on 1 September should confirm the local situation before departure.
Date-by-date breakdown
Monday 31 August
| Country | Time | Applies to | Roads | Exemptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >7.5t | 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 | Very limited: urgent medical supplies, military |
| Liechtenstein | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All roads (follows Swiss rules) | Same as Switzerland — very limited |
Routine night bans only. The important detail is the Swiss threshold: the ban starts at >3.5t, so light commercial vehicles that are free to move in Austria or Germany are already restricted in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
Tuesday 1 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 nationwide | Very limited |
| Liechtenstein | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All roads | Very limited |
No daytime restriction recorded on the transit corridors. On the Austrian side the night ban also covers the A12 Inntal, A13 Brenner and A14, which is the section most drivers underestimate when heading south towards Italy.
Wednesday 2 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 nationwide | Very limited |
| Liechtenstein | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All roads | Very limited |
A normal working day across the rest of Europe. This is the best day of the week for long transit legs through Germany, Poland or Hungary.
Thursday 3 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 nationwide | Very limited |
| Liechtenstein | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All roads | Very limited |
Night bans only again. Drivers who intend to clear the Alpine corridor before the weekend should be past the Brenner axis by Friday afternoon.
Friday 4 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 nationwide | Very limited |
| Liechtenstein | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All roads | Very limited |
| Greece | 16:00–21:00 | >3.5t | Selected national highways and toll roads | Perishable goods, fuel, essential supplies |
The only daytime window on Friday is in Greece, 16:00–21:00, on selected national highways and toll roads. It concerns mainly the Athens–Thessaloniki axis and the Patras corridor; drivers elsewhere in Europe are not affected.
Saturday 5 September
| Country | Time | Applies to | Roads | Exemptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 00:00–05:00; 07:00–15:00 (A12/A13); 15:00–24:00 | >7.5t | Motorways and expressways | Perishable goods, live animals, combined transport, rail terminal traffic |
| Italy | 07:00–22:00 | >7.5t | All roads outside urban areas (extraurbane) | Perishable goods, live animals, fuel, ATP certificate |
| Slovenia | 06:00–16:00; 08:00–13:00 | >7.5t | Motorways and expressways | Perishable goods, live animals, ADR dangerous goods |
| Croatia | 15:00–23:00 | >7.5t or trailers >14m | Selected main roads and motorways | Perishable goods, live animals, fuel, humanitarian transport |
| Greece | 08:00–16:00; 08:00–22:00 | >3.5t | Selected national highways and toll roads | Perishable goods, fuel, essential supplies |
| Poland | 18:00–22:00 | >12t | All public roads | Perishable goods, live animals, fuel, mail, empty vehicles returning to base |
| Bulgaria | 16:00–20:00 | >12t | Highways and national roads (I and II class) | Perishable goods, live animals, military, diplomatic |
| Hungary | 22:00–24:00 | >7.5t | All public roads | Perishable goods, live animals, transit with valid vignette |
| France | 22:00–24:00 | >7.5t | All roads nationwide | Perishable goods, livestock, fuel, humanitarian shipments |
| Luxembourg | 21:30–24:00; 23:30–24:00 (direction-dependent) | >7.5t | All roads | Perishable goods, fuel |
| Switzerland | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All public roads nationwide | Very limited |
| Liechtenstein | 00:00–05:00; 22:00–24:00 | >3.5t | All roads | Very limited |
The hotspot of the week is the Alpine corridor. On Saturday morning the A12 Inntal and A13 Brenner carry an additional 07:00–15:00 ban towards Italy and Germany, and from 15:00 the general Austrian Saturday ban takes over on all motorways and expressways. Combined with the Italy daytime ban of 07:00–22:00 outside urban areas, the Munich–Innsbruck–Verona axis is effectively closed to heavy goods traffic for most of the day. Book a parking place early: on this corridor and on the Italian extraurbane network the spaces fill up long before the ban starts, and the truck parking map for Italy is the fastest way to secure one. In Poland the Saturday window is short (18:00–22:00) and, importantly, only applies above 12 tonnes.
Sunday 6 September
| Country | Time | Applies to | Roads | Exemptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | 00:00–24:00 (full day) | >3.5t | All public roads nationwide | Very limited: urgent medical supplies, military |
| Liechtenstein | 00:00–24:00 (full day) | >3.5t | All roads | Very limited |
| Austria | 00:00–22:00; 22:00–24:00 | >7.5t | Motorways and expressways | Perishable goods, live animals, combined transport |
| Germany | 00:00–22:00 | >7.5t | Federal roads and motorways (Bundesstraßen & Autobahnen) | 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 |
| Slovakia | 06:00–22:00 | >7.5t, or >3.5t with trailer | All roads | Perishable goods and combined transport 00:00–06:00, live animals, fuel |
| Czech Republic | 13:00–22:00 | >7.5t, or >3.5t with trailer | Motorways, expressways, 1st class roads | Perishable goods, live animals, fuel, postal deliveries |
| Poland | 08:00–22:00 | >12t | All public roads | Perishable goods, live animals, combined transport, fuel, mail, empty vehicles |
| Slovenia | 08:00–22:00 | >7.5t | Motorways and expressways | Perishable goods, live animals, ADR dangerous goods |
| Croatia | 14:00–23:00 | >7.5t or trailers >14m | Selected main roads and motorways | Perishable goods, live animals, fuel, humanitarian transport |
| Italy | 07:00–22:00 | >7.5t | All roads outside urban areas | Perishable goods, live animals, fuel, newspapers, ATP certificate |
| Romania | 06:00–22:00 | >7.5t | DN1, DN7 and selected highways | Perishable goods, ADR, international transit on TEN-T corridors |
| Luxembourg | 00:00–21:45 | >7.5t | All roads | 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, essential supplies |
Sunday is the heaviest day of the week. Switzerland and Liechtenstein apply a full 24-hour ban above 3.5t with almost no exemptions, so a Swiss transit must be finished on Saturday. Germany, France, Austria and Hungary all close from 00:00 to 22:00, which means the west–east corridor is blocked from midnight. Departure is only realistic after 22:00, and in the Czech Republic the ban begins later, at 13:00, giving a usable morning window on the D1 and D5. When you cost a Sunday standstill into the job, remember that a stationary truck still carries fixed expenses — a trip cost calculation covering fuel, road tolls and the extra night is more accurate than a distance-only estimate, and German motorway toll (LKW-Maut) can be checked in advance with the German toll calculator.
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, plus a nightly 22:00–05:00 ban on the A12, A13 and A14; the A12 Inntal and A13 Brenner add a Saturday 07:00–15:00 ban towards Italy and Germany | Penalties: €150–€5,000.
Exemptions: perishable goods, live animals, combined transport, vehicles in direct transit to or from rail terminals.
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 at all. This is the strictest regime in Europe.
Liechtenstein
Weight: >3.5t | Roads: all roads | Recurring pattern: identical to Switzerland | Penalties: CHF-equivalent fines.
Exemptions: same as Switzerland — very limited.
Germany
Weight: >7.5t | Roads: federal roads and motorways | Recurring pattern: Sundays and public holidays 00:00–22:00; the summer regulation (Ferienreiseverordnung) adds Saturdays 07:00–20:00 on selected motorways in July and August | Penalties: €75–€525.
Exemptions: fresh food, mail, empty containers returning to base, combined transport.
France
Weight: >7.5t | Roads: all roads nationwide | Recurring pattern: Saturdays from 22:00 until Sunday 22:00, every weekend; 22:00–24:00 before each public holiday | Penalties: €135–€750 (4th class).
Exemptions: perishable goods, livestock, fuel, humanitarian shipments.
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; pre-holiday days often 14:00–22:00 or 16:00–22:00 | Penalties: €419–€1,682.
Exemptions: perishable goods, live animals, fuel, newspapers, postal deliveries, vehicles with an ATP certificate.
Hungary
Weight: >7.5t | Roads: all public roads | Recurring pattern: Sundays and holidays 06:00–22:00 from April to September; pre-holiday Saturdays 22:00 until Sunday 22:00 | Penalties: HUF 30,000–300,000. Full-year detail is on the page for the truck ban in Hungary 2026.
Exemptions: perishable goods, live animals, vehicles in transit holding a valid Hungarian motorway vignette.
Czech Republic
Weight: >7.5t, or >3.5t with a trailer | Roads: motorways, expressways and 1st class roads | Recurring pattern: Sundays and holidays 13:00–22:00; Fridays 17:00–21:00 in July and August | Penalties: CZK 5,000–100,000.
Exemptions: perishable goods, live animals, fuel, postal deliveries, combined transport.
Slovakia
Weight: >7.5t, or >3.5t with a trailer | Roads: all roads | Recurring pattern: Sundays and holidays 00:00–22:00; Saturday ban when a holiday follows | Penalties: €150–€1,500. See Slovakia for border and route detail.
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. Route notes for Slovenia.
Exemptions: perishable goods, live animals, dangerous goods with valid ADR documentation.
Poland
Weight: >12t | Roads: all public roads | Recurring pattern: Sundays and public holidays 08:00–22:00, pre-holiday Saturdays 18:00–22:00; in summer additionally Fridays 18:00–22:00 and Saturdays 08:00–14:00 | 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 longer than 14m | 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. Corridor detail for Croatia.
Exemptions: perishable goods, live animals, fuel, humanitarian transport.
Bulgaria
Weight: >12t | Roads: highways and national roads of I and II class | Recurring pattern: public holidays all day, the day before a holiday 16:00–20:00, the day after 14:00–20:00 | Penalties: BGN 500–2,000. Border data for Bulgaria.
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; additional Friday restrictions in summer | Penalties: RON 3,000–9,000. Border data for Romania.
Exemptions: perishable goods, dangerous goods with valid ADR, vehicles in international transit on TEN-T corridors.
Greece
Weight: >3.5t | Roads: selected national highways and toll roads | Recurring pattern: public holidays and holiday eves on the main routes, mainly the Athens–Thessaloniki axis and the Patras corridor | Penalties: €200–€2,000.
Exemptions: perishable goods, fuel, essential supplies.
Luxembourg
Weight: >7.5t | Roads: all roads | Recurring pattern: Sundays and holidays, with direction-specific windows on the border corridors towards Germany, France and Belgium | Penalties: €50–€500. Transit notes for Luxembourg.
Exemptions: perishable goods, fuel.
Plan Your Route
First, check the exact times before departure, not on the road. The weight threshold decides everything: Poland and Bulgaria only restrict vehicles above 12 tonnes, so a 10-tonne truck may legally continue there while the same vehicle is already banned in Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Greece, where the limit is 3.5 tonnes. Most other countries use 7.5 tonnes. Confirm your own gross vehicle weight against the country rule before you assume a general traffic ban applies to you.
Second, choose the parking place before the ban starts, not after. Rest areas along the A12, A13 and the Italian extraurbane network are full well before 15:00 on Saturday. Third, plan alternative routing where it is legal: the Czech Republic opens until 13:00 on Sunday, and Poland only from 08:00, so an early Sunday morning departure eastwards is possible where a westward departure through Germany or France is not. Fourth, keep a buffer of at least one to two hours near border crossings, because the wait time at the barrier is added on top of the ban window and can push you into the next restricted period.
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: 31.08.2026