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Chaos! Slovenia withdraws the driving ban on August 14

Today (August 10) it has been announced that owing to extraordinary circumstances, all lorries with a maximum permissible weight exceeding 7,500 kg can travel on August 14.

According to the announcement made yesterday, from Saturday, August 12, to Tuesday, August 15, the movement of lorries with a maximum permissible weight exceeding 7,500 kg was to be only allowed in connection with flood relief operations. Now the Slovenian ministry has withdrawn the driving ban on Monday, August 14. Owing to extraordinary circumstances, all lorries with a maximum permissible weight exceeding 7,500 kg are allowed to drive on that day.

The driving ban for vehicles with a maximum permissible weight exceeding 7.5 tons will apply on:
❌ August 12, Saturday, from 8:00 to 1:00 PM, and from 6:00 to 4:00 PM on roads along the coast;
❌ August 14, Monday, from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM;
❌ August 15, Tuesday, from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM;

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Norway relaxes driving times and calls on hauliers to hold off transports

The authorities of Innlandet county are asking everyone in the transport industry to postpone non-essential deliveries. At the same time, the Norwegian government has relaxed the driving and rest time rules.

As a result of extreme weather on Wednesday, August 9, all major roads between Oslo and Trondheim have been closed. Inland Norway was hit the hardest, with 50 roads closed. The association NHO Logistics and Transport has asked for a temporary relaxation of the driving and rest time regulations. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration reacted almost immediately and approved the relaxation on Wednesday afternoon. The relaxed rules apply from the 9th to the 20th of August.

The relaxed rules are as follows:
• Daily driving time must not exceed 10 hours (normally 9 hours).
• Weekly driving time must not exceed 60 hours (normally 56 hours).
• Total driving time over two consecutive weeks must not exceed 100 hours (normally 90 hours).
• A break of at least 45 minutes is required after driving for up to 5 hours (normally 4.5 hours)
• A driver can have an unlimited number of reduced daily rest periods between two weekly rests (normally limited to three).
• Drivers using the relaxed rules are advised to carry a copy of the temporary regulation – download the document ⬅HERE.

An appeal to hauliers
Heavy goods traffic can cause demage to roads that are still open. Drivers must respect existing roadblocks. They must not be moved or crossed. Entering a closed area can be dangerous.
Currently, the 25 motorway together with county Road 26 through Trysil and Engerdal is the only route open to traffic between Eastern Norway and Trondheim. These roads cannot handle heavy traffic that normally runs on motorways no. 3 and E6.
❗ The chief of police has asked hauliers to use road No. 26 only for deliveries that are absolutely necessary. This includes the transport of goods or animals required for food safety and animal welfare. Other transports should be postponed until the situation improves.
❗ Provincial road No. 30 is open to vehicles weighing up to 3.5 tons.
❗ The point in Rendalen is partially closed.

Lorries traveling on roads in Inland Norway can be stopped and diverted or turned around as new and potentially dangerous situations constantly arise.

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A2 closure at Whitfield for bridge installation

Where possible, traffic heading to or from the Port of Dover is recommended to use the A20/M20.

A key milestone in construction of Fastrack takes place on the weekend of Friday 14 to Monday 17 July as a new 31.5m span bridge is installed across the A2 at Whitfield.

A short stretch of the A2 from the Whitfield roundabout to the Whitfield interchange (A256 junction) will be closed to all traffic from 9.00pm on Friday, 14 July to 5.00am on Monday, 17 July.

There will be a signed diversion via the White Cliffs Business Park (Honeywood Road and Honeywood Parkway) during the works to install the bridge. Where possible, traffic heading to or from the Port of Dover is recommended to use the A20/M20.

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Słowenia – dodatkowe zakazy dla pojazdów ciężarowych w dniach 12-15 sierpnia

Dekretem z dnia 8 sierpnia 2023r w Słowenii wprowadzone zostały dodatkowe zakazy jazdy dla pojazdów ciężarowych.

Ograniczenie ruchu pojazdów ciężarowych o dopuszczalnej masie całkowitej przekraczającej 7,5 tony będzie obowiązywało:
❌12 sierpnia: – sobota, w godzinach od 8:00 do 13:00, na drogach przybrzeżnych w godzinach 6:00-16:00;
❌13 sierpnia – niedziela, między 8:00 a 22:00;
❌15 sierpnia – wtorek, w godzinach 8:00-22:00;

Ograniczenie nie będzie miało zastosowania do pojazdów biorących udział w usuwaniu skutków powodzi.

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Slovenia – additional HGV driving bans on August 12-15

The driving ban applies to vehicles with a maximum permissible weight exceeding 7.5 tons on the following dates:

❌ August 12, Saturday, generally from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM, and from 6:00 AM to 4:00 PM on roads along the coast;
❌ August 13, Sunday, from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM;
❌ August 15, Tuesday, from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM;
Vehicles involved in flood relief are exempt from the ban.

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A complete night closure of the A7 from 12 to 13 August

In April 2023, DEGES completed the construction of the new K 30 embankment.

Currently, works related to the final phase of the construction are underway. These involve removing makeshift structures, including the central crossing in the transition to the K 20 embankment and the auxiliary embankment on the western side of the A 7 motorway, but also the restoration of service and rescue roads along the K 30 embankment.
For this reason it will be necessary to reorganize traffic on this motorway section again.
The re-organisation of traffic and the activation of new traffic management software in the Elbe Tunnel will be implemented during the complete night closure of the A7 motorway over the coming weekend.
After the closure is over, traffic will continue along three southbound lanes. One lane will run through the fourth tunnel tube and two lanes will run through the third tunnel tube. This traffic organization will probably be maintained until April 2024.
During the night closure of the A7 motorway from 10:00 PM on Saturday, August 12, to 9:00 on Sunday, August 13, the following traffic restrictions will apply:
• closure of the northbound carriageway between the HH-Heimfeld (32) and HH-Volkspark (27) junctions
• closure of the the southbound carriageway between the HH-Volkspark (27) and HH-Waltershof (30) junctions
• closures of exit roads at the HH-Volkspark (27), HH-Bahrenfeld (28), HH-Othmarschen (29), HH-Waltershof (30) and HH-Heimfeld (32) junctions starting from 9:00 PM on Friday, August 12.
From 9:00 PM on Saturday, August 8, to 5:00 on Saturday, August 19:
• closure of the slip lane on the southbound motorway at the HH-Othmarschen junction (29)
• Alternatively, drivers can take the slip road to the southbound carriageway at the HH-Bahrenfeld (28) junction. There are information boards along the route.
Because traffic through the Elbe Tunnel is to be maintained until April 2024, drivers are generally advised to bypass the slip road to the southbound carriageway at the HH-Othmarschen (29) junction and use the HH-Bahrenfeld (28) or HH – Volkspark (27) junctions instead!
Diversions and alternative routes:
During the complete closure through traffic from the north and south is diverted along the A1, A21 and B205.
In addition to this diversion, the following alternative route is recommended for drivers heading to destinationss west of Hamburg:
• from A 23 Pinneberg Nord via Westring – L103 to Altonaer Chaussee / Luruper Hauptstraße and from there to the final destination
Depending on your destination, diversions in the city center start from the HH-Stellingen (26), HH-Volkspark (27) and HH-Heimfeld (32) junctions:
• drivers going in the direction of Hanover should follow the signs “Elbbrücken” at the HH-Stellingen junction (26) via the B4 to the A1 and A7
• Drivers heading to Hamburg East/Centre can go from the HH-Stellingen junction (26) towards the airport via Koppelstraße, Julius-Vossler-Straße and to Siemersplatz, and from there towards the centre.
• or take Osterfeldstrasse to the B5 in the direction of East Hamburg
• or further from Vogt-Wells-Strasse to Elbbrücken (A255 / A1)
• Drivers heading south to Altona-West should follow the mandatory U33 diversion at the HH-Volkspark junction (27) and turn left at the Schnackenburg / Binsbarg junction towards Altona
• traffic in the direction of Flensburg follows the mandatory U7 diversion at the HH-Heimfeld junction (32);
• From the Elbe bridges, first take the B75 and B5 towards the airport or City Nord, and from Siemersplatz continue along the B4 to the HH-Stellingen (26) junction or B447 to the HH-Schnelsen (24) junction;
• Traffic from Hanover can take the obligatory U21 diversion towards the port from the HH-Heimfeld junction (32).
Drivers from the north are also advised to avoid the closed section of the A7 motorway:
Drivers heading to the city center can:
• get to the HH-Schnelsen-Nord junction (23) via the airport bypass B432 and B433 and Alsterkrugchaussee
• from the HH-Schnelsen junction (24) via the B447 Schleswiger Damm, Friedrich-Ebert-Straße, Kollaustraße
Make sure you check the best diversion route depending on your destination, before starting your journey.

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Does a holiday always mean a driving ban?

From time to time we are asked why we do not provide information about a driving ban if there is a holiday in a certain country on a given day. Here’s the explanation.

❌ First of all, not every European country has traffic restrictions for heavy goods vehicles. This is the case in Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands, among others.
❌ Secondly, one needs to distinguish between holidays and days with HGV driving bans. Usually they overlap, but this is not a rule, as in the case of the Feast of Epiphany (January 6). While it is a public holiday in Poland and Germany, neither country has a HGV driving ban on this day. There are more such examples in Germany: August 15 and November 22.
❌ Since there are more such situations in European countries, you should always check if the holiday is associated with any driving bans. All relevant information can be found on trafficban.com.

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Belgium: closure of the Kennedy Tunnel in Antwerp

The Kennedy Tunnel on the Antwerp ring road (R1) will be closed in both diurections from 00:00 to 7:00 AM on Saturday/Sunday 5/6.08 and on Saturday/Sunday 12/13.08 in order to remove defects in the high-voltage system.

Although the tunnel will be closed at nighttime, drivers can expect significant traffic disruptions, including the closure of several other nearby roads.
The list of affected roads:
• E19 from Brussels to R1 in the direction of Ghent;
• Wilrijk exit (5) to R1 in the direction of Ghent (Jan van Rijswijcklaan);
• Jan De Vostunnel (A112) from Brussels to the R1 in the direction of Ghent;
• Jan Devoslei (N186) and the Kiel connecting road (14) on Kolonel Silvertopstraat (N148) with the Bolivar Tunnel / the R1 in the direction of Ghent;
• the junction from the Bolivar Tunnel to the R1 in the direction of Ghent;
• E17 in the direction of Antwerp from the Antwerp-West junction;
• E34 with the R1 towards Antwerp.

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A 7 tunnel construction in Altona: traffic difficulties

The traffic will be reorganised over several consecutive nights, including lane reductions and a night-time closure of the northbound carriageway between the junction HH-Othmarschen (29) and junction HH-Volkspark (27).

From Thursday, July 27, until the first quarter of 2024 at the HH-Othmarschen (29) junction
• no left turn for traffic from the direction of Wedel on the A7
– drivers can use the northbound slip lane at the HHBahrenfeld (28) junction.

From 10:00 PM on Saturday, July 29, to 9:00 AM on Sunday, July 30,
• nighttime closure of the northbound/Flensburg carriageway
• from 9:00 PM all junctions between HH-Othmarschen (29) and HH-Volkspark (27) will be closed.
Since no adequate diversion exists at HH-Othmarschen (29), traffic has to be diverted over longer routes!

The following diversions are available:
A wide diversion from the Maschener Kreuz (36) via the A 1, A 21 and B 205 is available for northbound transit traffic.
The official city diversion in the direction of Flensburg starts from the HH-Heimfeld junction (32) via the obligatory diversion U7 via the B 73 and B 75 to the Elbe bridges, further on the B 4 to get to the individual districts or further to the AS HH-Volkspark (27) or AS HH-Stellingen (26) to get back on the A7.

Oversize and abnormal transports:
A waiting zone will be set up on the A7 north of the Elbe tunnel at the HH-Othmarschen (29) junction for vehicles carrying oversize and abnormal loads that have already been approved. Depending on the type of approval, the intention of driving through the Elbe tunnel should be reported as usual by telephone one hour in advance, upon which vehicles can enter the waiting zone north of the Elbe tunnel on the A7. From there, vehicles will be guided through the closed-off section on request!

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From August 1 Non-UK HGVs need to pay road user levy

The levy amount will be based on:
• vehicle weight as a broad approximation to CO2 emissions
• vehicle air quality emissions standard
• levy duration.

The levy was suspended in August 2020 to support the haulage sector and aid pandemic recovery efforts. Following a consultation in 2022, a new reformed levy will come into effect from August 2023 with a revised structure and rates.

Non-UK registered vehicles

The HGV levy has to paid for vehicles weighing 12,000kg or more and driving on motorways or ‘A’ roads in the UK.It must be paid before entering the UK.Drivers can pay a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly rate depending on how long the journey will last. A day runs from 12:00am (midnight) to 11:59pm that same day. Non-UK HGVs can use the HGV levy payment service now to pay in advance for trips you will make from 1 August onwards.

Rates payable

HGV levy rates for newer vehicles – Euro 6 class or later.

HGV levy rates for older vehicles – Euro 5 class or older.

For UK registered vehicles, both the HGV levy suspension and restart in August will be applied automatically by DVLA.