Clarification on German HGV driving bans on October 31 and November 1

Responding to numerous inqueries regarding driving bans on these two days, we include a detailed list:

The bans apply:
– October 31 – Reformation Day is a public holiday only in: Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia.
– November 1 (All Saints’ Day) is only a public holiday in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saar.

Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia have special regulations concerning the Reformation Day and All Saints’ Day in the period 2020-2025. Reformation Day (October 31) is a public holiday in Lower Saxony, while All Saints’ Day (November 1) is a public holiday in North Rhine-Westphalia. To avoid situations where lorries traveling through Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia are affected by driving bans for 2 consecutive days, the periods when the bans are in effect have been changed. On both holidays, the driving ban applies from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM. In addition, both federal states allow lorries to use transit routes along the A 1, A 2, A 30, A 31 and A 33 on a public holiday during this period. These regulations will remain in effect until 2025.
List of motorway sections which can be used by HGVs between 6.00 AM and 10.00 PM on public holidays falling in a given federal state:
A1 – From the Lotte / Osnabrück motorway junction to the border between North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony at the Osnabrück-Nord junction and in the opposite direction.
A2 – From the Bad Oeynhausen junction to the border between Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt and in the opposite direction.
A 30 – From the Bad Bentheim border crossing (with the Netherlands) to the Bad Oeynhausen junction (A2) and in the opposite direction.
A31 – From the Schüttorf junction to the border between Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia and in the opposite direction.
A33 – From the Osnabrück-Süd junction to the Dissen-Süd junction and in the opposite direction.