by HGV restrictions in Catalonia
Owing to forecasts of significant increases in traffic volume on the 11th and 13th of November, an additional restriction will be introduced on some road and motorway sections for vehicles or combinations of vehicles with a maximum authorised mass of more than 7.5 tons, which are required to use the right lane and must not overtake other vehicles and drive faster than 80 km/h.
On Friday, November 18, between 3:00 PM and 9:00 PM, the restrictions will apply on the following road sections:
➖ the AP-7 motorway, between KP 126, exit 12B at La Roca del Vallés, Granollers and the junction with the C-60 in La Roca del Vallés, and KP 172, exit 25 at Martorell and the junction with the A-2 in the Martorell commune;
➖ the AP-7 motorway in the territory of Terres de l’Ebre, where there are only two lanes, between KP 257, exit 35 at Vila-seca, Salou, Reus S. and Port Aventura, in the municipality of Vila-seca, and KP 344,8 the border between Tarragona and Castellón, in the municipality of Ulldecona.
On Sunday, November 20, between 3:00 PM and 10:00 PM, the restrictions will apply on the following road sections:
➖ the northbound AP-7 motorway, between KP 111.1, exit 11 at Sant Celoni and Montseny in the commune of Sant Celoni, and KP 133.8, exit 13 at Granollers, Montornès del Vallès and Vilanova del Vallés, in the municipality of Montornès del Vallès;
by Austria reintroduces border controls
Austria: checks at the internal borders with the Republic of Slovenia and Hungary temporarily reinstated.
In order to ensure peace, public order and security, in the period from 00:00 AM on 12 November 2022, to 12:00 PM on 11 May 2023, the internal land borders with the Republic of Slovenia and Hungary may only be crossed at border crossing points.
by Germany: closure of the A7 near Hamburg
From 10:00 PM on Thursday, November 17, to 5:00 AM on Monday, November 21, the A7 between the Hamburg-Volkspark and Hamburg-Waltershof junctions will be completely closed to traffic.
The port of Hamburg can be reached from the south until 10:00 PM on Friday, November 18.
HGVs (with abnormal loads) have to take a big detour to avoid the A7 as traffic will be closed in both directions. Difficulties are also to be expected on diversions routes.
The closure is due to the eight-lane expansion of the A7.
by HGV restrictions in Catalonia
Owing to forecasts of significant increases in traffic volume on the 11th and 13th of November, an additional restriction will be introduced on some road and motorway sections for vehicles or combinations of vehicles with a maximum authorised mass of more than 7.5 tons, which are required to use the right lane and must not overtake other vehicles and drive faster than 80 km/h.
On Friday, November 11, between 3:00 PM and 9:00 PM, the restrictions will apply on the following road sections:
➖ the AP-7 motorway, between KP 126, exit 12B at La Roca del Vallés, Granollers and the junction with the C-60 in La Roca del Vallés, and KP 172, exit 25 at Martorell and the junction with the A-2 in the Martorell commune;
➖ the AP-7 motorway in the territory of Terres de l’Ebre, where there are only two lanes, between KP 257, exit 35 at Vila-seca, Salou, Reus S. and Port Aventura, in the municipality of Vila-seca, and KP 344,8 the border between Tarragona and Castellón, in the municipality of Ulldecona.
On Sunday, November 13, between 3:00 PM and 10:00 PM, the restrictions will apply on the following road sections:
➖ the northbound AP-7 motorway, between KP 111.1, exit 11 at Sant Celoni and Montseny in the commune of Sant Celoni, and KP 133.8, exit 13 at Granollers, Montornès del Vallès and Vilanova del Vallés, in the municipality of Montornès del Vallès;
by The Mont Blanc Tunnel closed for 21 days
Owing to the complete resurfacing of the road with conservation work over the entire length of the tunnel, the Mont-Blanc Tunnel will be completely closed to traffic from 5 p.m. on Monday, 17 October to 10 a.m. on Monday, 7 November.
See the map of possible alternative routes:
Source of information and graphics: Tunnel Mont Blanc
by Norway to adopt Mobility Package rules from November 1
Although Norway is not an EU member and is not obliged to comply with these regulations, the country’s Ministry of Transport has concluded that the EU Mobility Package will help to make the road transport sector a better place to work and do business. This is why the ministry has decided to adopt new regulations on driving and rest periods for drivers, the use of tachographs in vehicles and the rules regarding access to the occupation of a road transport operator.
The new regulations are part of the mobility package’s so-called social part, which was included in the EEA agreement on 18 March.
The most important regulations that take effect on November 1:
⏺ an international transport licence is required to operate vans over 2.5 tonnes. Hauliers must also meet other requirements such as headquarters located in the EEA area, good reputation, sufficient financial standing and professional competence.
⏺ the cabotage rules will also apply to international transport by vans.
⏺ vehicles in international transport are required to return to their operational centre in the country of origin every 8 weeks.
⏺ transport companies have to make arrangements for drivers to be able to take at least one regular weekly rest at home during each four-week period,
⏺ drivers are not allowed to take their weekly rest in the vehicle
⏺ renumeration for drivers cannot depend on how quickly the goods are delivered.
⏺ The cooling-off period of 4 days after the last completed cabotage operation during which foreign vehicles are not allowed to perform cabotage operations in Norway.
Changes effective from 2026:
⏺ the rules on driving and rest times will apply to vans with a MAM of 2.5 to 3.5 tons used in international transport
⏺ vans with a MAM of 2.5 to 3.5 tons used in international transport will have to be equipped with a tachograph
by Spain: a restriction for oversized vehicles on AP-7 in Castellbisbal
The restriction is related to construction work carried out by the administrator of the railway infrastructure.
As a result, all lanes of the AP-7 motorway (KP 166) in Castellbisbal (Barcelona province) have been narrowed and the organization of traffic at various stages of work will be changed. The width of the outer lane is now 3.40 m, with a much narrower shoulder. For this reason, this motorway section can no longer be used by oversized vehicles whose width exceeds 3.00 m.
❗It is estimated that the works will continue until July 1, 2023, so road hauliers are advised to use the A-2 between Martorell and Rubí instead.
by Poland and France with additional weekend driving bans
The upcoming Friday, November 11, is a national holiday both in Poland (Independence Day) and in France (Armistice Day).
This means the holiday driving ban starts on Thursday, November 10: in Poland from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM, in France from 10:00 PM to 12:00 PM.
10 November (thursday)
France 22:00 – 24:00
Poland 18:00 – 22:00
11 November (friday)
France 00:00 – 22:00
Poland 8:00 – 22:00
12 November (saturday)
Austria 15:00 – 24:00
France 22:00 – 24:00
Luxembourg 21.30-24.00 (in the direction of France)
Luxembourg 23.30 – 24.00 (in the direction of Germany)
Hungary 22:00 – 24:00
13 November (sunday)
Austria 00.00-22.00
Czech Republik 13.00-22.00
France 00.00-22.00
Liechtenstein 00.00-24.00
Luxembourg 00.00-21.45
Germany 00.00-22.00
Slovakia 00.00-22.00
Slovenia 8.00-22.00
Switzerland 00.00-24.00
Hungary 00.00-22.00
Italy 9.00-22.00
by Hungary: a derogation from the winter HGV driving ban
As was the case in previous years, from November 4, less polluting lorries (EURO-3-4-5-6 and EEVs) in international traffic are exempt from the winter HGV driving ban.
In winter, weekend and holiday driving bans apply only to the most polluting and domestic lorries, usually from 10:00 PM on Saturdays to 10:00 PM on Sundays.
Every winter (from November 4 to March 1), the Hungarian government issues a decree granting this derogation to all HGVs that comply with the EURO 3 standard or higher and are used for international transport, i.e. carry out a cross-border transport operation. As a result, these vehicles do not have to be parked at weekends and on public holidays in the winter months.
by Night closure of the Mont Blanc tunnel
Maintenance work on the French tunnel is starting and it has been decided to introduce changes to night-time traffic.
To allow the services to operate, traffic in the Mont Blanc tunnel will be completely interrupted at night:
– from Monday, 10 October, to Tuesday, 11 October, from 10pm to 6am,
– from Tuesday 11 October, to Wednesday 12 October from 7.30pm to 6am,
– from Wednesday, October 12, to Thursday, October 13, from 7.30 p.m. to 6 a.m,
– Thursday 13 October, to Friday 14 October, from 7.30pm to 6am.
Source: Febetra