In the months of July and August, a number of restrictions are again in place for truck drivers in some European countries. These include not being allowed to drive on Saturdays and (sometimes) on Fridays and Sundays. EVO has listed the prohibitions. The following driving bans will apply in the countries listed below this summer:
Germany
The 'Ferienreiseverordnung' applies on all Saturdays in the months of July and August from 7am to 8pm. Driving is then allowed again from 20.00 to midnight, but the Sunday driving ban starts after midnight.
EVO reports, "The Saturday driving ban applies to trucks and tractor-trailer combinations with a maximum authorised mass of more than 7.5 tonnes and trucks with trailers, regardless of weight."
The 24 specific roads where driving bans apply on Saturdays are reported by the shippers' association in a special list on its website.
France
On Saturdays when it is extra busy on French roads, driving bans apply. These black Saturdays for the year 2016 are: 23 and 30 July and 6, 13 and 20 August 2016. Lorries with an authorised maximum mass of more than 7.5 tonnes are not allowed on the roads between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on these days. "The Sunday driving ban then does not start Saturday at 10pm but two hours later, i.e. at 12am," he said.
There is also a driving ban on Thursday, July 14, due to a bank holiday.
Austria
In Austria, truck traffic must stay on the side on 15 August on Assumption Day. There is also an additional driving ban for trucks (combinations) in Austria on a number of days in 2016. "The trucks with a ttg of more than 7.5 tonnes with a destination Italy, or when the destination is reached via Italy should take this into account."
The ban applies to all Saturdays from 2 July 2016 to 30 July 2016 and 6, 20 and 27 August 2016 between 10am and 3pm. No driving is also allowed on August 5 between 4pm and 10pm.
Furthermore, in Austria, some specific routes are subject to driving bans during the summer months. The full list is listed on EVO's website.
Poland
This year, the summer driving ban in Poland for vehicles and vehicle combinations with a maximum permissible total weight of more than 12 tonnes applies from 28 June to 1 September from 18:00 to 22:00 on Fridays, from 8:00 to 14:00 on Saturdays and from 8:00 to 22:00 on Sundays.
Due to public holidays, driving bans also apply on 14 August from 18:00 to 22:00 and on 15 August from 8:00 to 22:00.
Italy
In Italy, driving bans apply on busy Saturdays and public holidays. This is the case on 2, 9, 16 and 23 July (08.00-16.00), on 29 July (16.00-22.00), 30 July (08.00-22.00), 5 August (14.00-22.00), 6 and 15 August (08.00-22.00), 20 and 27 August (08.00-16.00). On 15 August, Italy celebrates Assumption Day and no driving is allowed either.
On Sundays, lorries with an authorised total weight (own weight plus payload) vehicle of 7.5 tonnes may not be driven between 7am and 11pm .
Slovakia
During the period from 1 July to 31 August, a holiday driving ban applies on all Saturdays from 7am-8pm. This driving ban applies to vehicles with a tmm over 7.5 tonnes on all international motorways and all main roads.
Czech Republic
In addition to the general driving ban, from 1 July to 31 August, there is a holiday driving ban in the Czech Republic for vehicles with an authorised total weight over 7.5 tonnes on Fridays from 5pm to 9pm and on Saturdays from 7am to 1pm. On Sundays and public holidays from 1pm to 10pm and July 5, 6 and 7 from 1pm to 10pm.
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