Two German states introduce exemptions from the weekend HGV driving ban

A request from the federal Ministry of Transport has met with a positive response from two biggest states: Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia.

The federal government has asked the governments of the 16 states not to enforce the weekend HGV driving ban in order to facilitate deliveries to shops and ease shortages of certain products caused by increased demand following the coronavirus outbreak. As a results, it is difficult to ensure the uninterrupted availability of the full range of products.
The state of Bavaria has lifted the weekend HGV driving ban for vehicles above 7.5 tonnes until 30 May and only in the case of certain types of deliveries.
North Rhine-Westphalia has also relaxed the ban until 30 May and at the moment no official exemption document is required to be able to provide deliveries to shops that sell non-perishable foods and hygiene products. The instruction is effective immediately.
According to road traffic regulations, vevicles with a maximum authorised mass of over 7.5 tonnes are prohibited from driving from 0:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Sundays and other holidays. The ban does not apply to vehicles transporting fresh perishable food products, such as milk, meat, fish and perishable fruits and vegetables.
The task of enforcing the ban is the prerogative of each federal state, which can allow individual exemptions or introduce a general exemption for a certain group of vehicles.