by Hungary: No traffic ban during the night before May 1st! Trucks can operate until Thursday morning
This is important news for those planning routes through Hungary before the long May weekend. The night from April 30 to May 1 will be open for trucks – the driving ban for vehicles over 7.5 tons will only come into force on May 1 at 6:00 AM.
reviously, the ban was supposed to start already on Wednesday, April 30, at 10:00 PM. Thanks to the new regulation, drivers have gained an additional 8 hours to complete their routes and reach their destination before restrictions begin. The decision was made at the request of the Ministry of Transport to ensure the smooth flow of goods and provide greater flexibility in transport planning. The Ministry explains that this solution is intended to help companies and drivers better utilize the time before the official restrictions.
Truck traffic ban in Hungary during the May holidays:
❌Thursday, May 1, 2025 – ban from 06:00 to 22:00
❌ Saturday, May 3, 2025 – ban from 22:00
❌ Sunday, May 4, 2025 – ban until 22:00
The ban applies to all trucks with a GVW over 7.5 tons. This means that Wednesday evening (April 30) and night are available for transport – a good opportunity to plan your route accordingly.
by Spain temporarily extends driving time for truck drivers after massive power outage
The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility in Spain has approved a temporary regulation that relaxes the rules on driving time and rest periods for drivers engaged in road freight and passenger transport.
The blackout caused severe disruptions in the transport sector. Both freight and passenger transport operations were affected. Traffic congestion in several cities and communication issues prevented drivers from accessing essential information, such as which fuel stations were operating or how to contact their operations centers. The situation was further worsened by supply chain disruptions, which led to product shortages in commerce and a spike in transport demand the day after the outage.
In response, the Ministry has decided to introduce exemptions to allow professional drivers to manage their working and rest time more flexibly. The goal is to enable the completion of planned transport services without additional complications.
Changes for freight transport (in effect from April 28 to May 4, inclusive):
❌ Daily driving time extended from 9 to 11 hours
❌ Weekly driving time extended from 56 to 60 hours
❌ Fortnightly driving time extended from 90 to 96 hours
❌ Maximum uninterrupted driving time extended from 4.5 to 5 hours
❌ Minimum daily rest reduced from 11 to 9 hours
❌ Option to take two reduced weekly rest periods in a row (at least 24 hours each), provided they are compensated during the next full weekly rest; or to postpone the start of the weekly rest period beyond six consecutive 24-hour periods.
Changes for passenger transport (in effect from April 28 to April 30, inclusive):
❌ Daily driving time extended from 9 to 11 hours
❌ Maximum uninterrupted driving time extended from 4.5 to 5 hours
❌ Minimum daily rest reduced from 11 to 9 hours
The Ministry emphasizes that these measures are temporary and solely aimed at restoring the continuity of transport services in an exceptional situation.
Source: Spanish Ministry of Transport
by Slovakia Eases Truck Driving Bans on May 1 and 8 ➡ Details
In connection with the upcoming public holidays, the Presidium of the Police Force of the Slovak Republic, at the request of the ČESMAD Slovakia association, has granted an exemption from the truck driving ban on May 1 and May 8, 2025.
The exemption applies to all trucks traveling on highways, expressways, first-class roads, and international routes entering the territory of the Slovak Republic from certain neighboring countries, provided their destination (e.g., a vehicle depot or unloading site) is located within the territory of the Slovak Republic.
by A7 in Hamburg and the Elbe Tunnel – Full Weekend Closure
This coming weekend, drivers traveling on the A7 motorway near Hamburg must prepare for significant disruptions. From March 28 to March 31, the section between the Hamburg-Stellingen and Hamburg-Heimfeld interchanges will be completely closed in both directions, including the Elbe Tunnel.
The full closure, lasting 55 hours, is necessary to carry out work related to the installation of new overhead traffic sign gantries and updating the traffic control system in the Elbe Tunnel. According to Autobahn GmbH, the new software aims to improve safety and traffic flow in this critical transport corridor for northern Germany.
⭕ Closure of the A7 motorway between Flensburg and Hanover in both directions:
▪️ From Friday, March 28, at 10:00 PM to Monday, March 31, at 5:00 AM.
⭕ Gradual closure of on-ramps and off-ramps at the following interchanges:
Hamburg-Stellingen, Hamburg-Volkspark, Hamburg-Bahrenfeld, Hamburg-Othmarschen, Hamburg-Waltershof, and Hamburg-Heimfeld
▪️ Starting Friday, March 28, from 9:00 PM.
Detour routes will be designated for drivers, but it is strongly advised to avoid traveling through Hamburg during the closure period.
by Austria: additional restrictions on the A10 from April to June
A regulation issued by the Austrian Minister of Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure on 16 April introduces additional HGV driving bans on the A10 motorway.
The ban applies to trucks and vehicle combinations with a permissible GVW over 7.5 t:
1️⃣ On the southbound carriageway (towards Villach) between the Salzburg junction (intersection of the A10 and the A1 West motorways) and the Pongau junction:
a) on Friday, 18 April, and every Friday from 6 to 20 June, between 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM,
b) on Wednesday, 28 May, from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM,
c) on Saturday, 19 April and every Saturday from 7 to 21 June, between 7:00 AM and 3:00 PM;
2️⃣ On the northbound carriageway (towards Salzburg) between the Rennweg junction and the Golling junction:
a) on Friday, 13 June, and on Friday, 20 June from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM;
b) on Saturday, 14 June, and on Saturday, 21 June, from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
The following are excluded from the above prohibitions:
1. Transports of slaughter cattle or livestock, mail items and periodicals, supplies of drinks to tourist areas, urgent deliveries to petrol stations, catering establishments and events or repairs of cooling systems, towing services, roadside assistance, assistance in emergencies, medical care, the use of vehicles by road maintenance companies or to maintain road traffic, in road or rail construction, the use of vehicles by public security services, fire brigades, the use of vehicles for garbage collection, waste disposal, to maintain the operation of water treatment plants or the use of vehicles by companies providing regular passenger transport services, as well as journeys of vehicles used by travelling carnivals, incl. teams of lighting and sound engineers travelling to and from the venue, urgent journeys involving trucks, articulated vehicles or trucks with trailers used by the Austrian armed forces, journeys of self-propelled agricultural machines, humanitarian aid transports performed by recognized organizations as well as trips to and from the construction site undertaken for the purpose of the general renovation of the tunnel systems on the A 10 motorway between the Golling and Werfen junctions;
2. Transports to or from places located:
a) in the Austrian administrative districts of Salzburg, Salzburg-Umgebung, Hallein, St. Johann im Pongau, Tamsweg, Zell am See, Spittal an der Drau, Villach-Land and Villach,
b) in the German district of Berchtesgadener Land;
3. Transport to or from places located:
a) in the Austrian districts of Braunau, Vöcklabruck, Gmunden, Murau, Liezen, Hermagor, Feldkirchen, Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt-Land and Lienz,
b) in the German districts of Traunstein and Rosenheim (including the city of Rosenheim),
c) in the Italian provinces of Udine, Pordenone and Gorizia,
d) in the Slovenian statistical regions of Gorenjska and Goriska;
4. Journeys for the exclusive purpose of transporting fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh milk and fresh milk products, fresh meat and fresh meat products, fresh fish and fresh fish products, live fish, eggs, fresh mushrooms, fresh baked goods and confectionery products, fresh herbs as potted or cut plants, and of ready-to-eat food preparations, including related empty journeys or return journeys to transport packaging of the aforementioned groups of goods. A consignment note or a loading list for individual un/loading points must be carried with each transport and should be presented on request during an inspection. It must be possible to determine the quantity of carried goods at the beginning and during the journey;
5. Journeys performed exclusively to transport goods to or from airports (Section 64 of the Aviation Act) or military airfields that are used for civil aviation purposes in accordance with Section 62 (3) of the Aviation Act;
6. Journeys involving combined rail-road freight transport from the consignor to the nearest technically suitable loading station or from the closest technically suitable unloading station to the consignee and back to the next loading station, provided that a fully completed document can be presented showing that the vehicle or its superstructures (swap bodies, containers) are to be transported by rail or have already been transported; this applies mutatis mutandis to combined water-road freight transport.
by Attention! Austria has announced new truck bans – effective from today
The Austrian Ministry of Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure has published the 72nd regulation regarding additional driving bans for heavy goods vehicles in 2025. The document precisely defines the days and hours when restrictions will apply on key transit routes – including motorways A12 and A13 and national roads – and introduces a number of exemptions.
❌ The driving ban applies to:
◾ Trucks and tractor units with a maximum permissible gross weight (MPGW) over 7.5 tons,
◾ Vehicle combinations whose total MPGW exceeds 7.5 tons.
Truck driving bans
❌ April 18, 2025 and October 3, 2025 from 00:00 to 22:00
– on A12 Inntal and A13 Brenner motorways, if the destination is Germany or a country reached via Germany.
❌ April 19, 2025 from 11:00 to 15:00,
April 25, 2025 from 11:00 to 22:00,
June 2, 2025 from 09:00 to 22:00
– on A12 and A13, if the destination is Italy or a country reached via Italy.
❌ Every Saturday from July 5 to August 30, 2025 from 08:00 to 15:00, outside built-up areas in both directions, on the following national roads:
◾ B178 Loferer Straße: Lofer – Wörgl
◾ B320 Ennstalstraße: from km 4.500
◾ B177 Seefelder Straße: entire section
◾ B179 Fernpassstraße: Nassereith – Biberwier
◾ B181 Achensee Straße: entire section
◾ B182 Brenner Straße: entire section
❌ Every Saturday from June 28 to August 30, 2025 from 08:00 to 15:00
– on A4 Ost Autobahn from Schwechat junction to the national border in Nickelsdorf in both directions.
Exemptions apply to destination and origin transport to/from the following districts: Neusiedl am See, Eisenstadt, Eisenstadt-Umgebung, Rust, Mattersburg, Bruck an der Leitha, Gänserndorf and Korneuburg.
Exemptions from the bans
The bans mentioned in §1 do not apply to:
❌ 1. Transport of:
◾ Slaughter animals, feed, perishable food products, postal shipments, newspapers, beverages to tourist areas,
◾ Urgent deliveries to fuel stations, restaurants, events or refrigeration equipment repairs,
◾ Roadside assistance, emergency services, medical supplies, road maintenance, road and railway construction,
◾ Public service vehicles (police, fire brigade, waste collection, wastewater treatment),
◾ Transport of technical equipment for events (e.g. tent rentals), transport by showmen and technical crew (e.g. lighting, sound),
◾ Military transport of Bundeswehr or foreign troops under military stay regulations.
❌ 2. Trips to/from civilian airports and military airports used for civilian purposes.
❌ 3. Combined transport rail-road or water-road (provided appropriate documentation confirms the rail or waterway shipment of containers or swap bodies).
❌ 4. Trips to Germany, if it can be proven that they are exempt from German driving bans.
❌ 5. Trips to Italy, if it can be proven that they are exempt from Italian driving bans.
❌ Exempt from the bans listed in points 3 and 4 are empty vehicle journeys before 10:00, returning to the driver’s residence, company headquarters, freight terminal, truck yard, or location where the company provides return transport via public transit or company vehicle.
by Slovakia: a temporary closure of one section of the D3 motorway
The section of the D3 motorway in Slovakia between Zwardoń and Svrcinovec (Świerczynowiec) will be closed from March 21 to April 16. Additionally, the Poľana and Svrčinovec tunnels on the D1 motorway are also to be closed for maintenance work and in connection with a film project carried in the tunnels.
The following diversion routes are available
▶️ Traffic from the direction of Čadca towards Poland will be diverted to Český Těšín along road 1/11 via Svrcinovec Zatky (Świerczynowiec).
▶️ Traffic from Poland to Svrcinovec (Świerczynowiec) will be diverted to road C12. Vehicles over 7.5 tonnes will not be able to use this road, so a diversion has been designated along S52 towards Cieszyn.
▶️ In the case of the D1 tunnels, traffic in the Bratislava-Žilina will be diverted via the D3 motorway, starting from the Žilina junction. In the opposite direction, traffic will be diverted to the I/64 road from the Žilina – Solinky junction.
by Slovakia: a derogation from the HGV driving ban on April 18
In connection with the upcoming Easter holidays, the Presidium of the Police of the Slovak Republic has announced a special derogation from of the HGV driving ban.
The derogation will be in effect on Friday, April 18, and will apply only to lorries returning to Slovakia from neighboring countries, provided their destination is a vehicle station, the company’s operational centre or a place of unloading located in Slovakia. The exemption applies to journeys made along motorways, expressways, class I roads and roads designated for international traffic – but only in the case of vehicles whose place of destination is located in Slovakia. In other words, trucks passing through Slovakia will not able to benefit from this exemption.
It is worth noting that a similar exemption has not been granted for Monday, April 21, which means that on that day the HGV driving ban will apply as usual, from 00:00 to 10:00 PM.
by Hungary: closure of the Pentele Bridge
On Friday, April 11 at 5:00 p.m., the Pentele Bridge on the M8 route, which connects Dunaújváros and Dunavecse, will be completely closed. The work will last until 7:00 p.m on Sunday, April 13. During the closure, no vehicles will be able to cross the bridge.
The bridge needs to be closed to enable modernization work, which involves the replacement of the load-bearing elements of the bridge structure and the rebuilding of its technical infrastructure. The renovation will be carried out in stages throughout the year during similar weekend closures.
A diversion route has been for heavy goods vehicles with a GVW up to 40 tons, along the national road no. 52, across the bridge between Solt and Dunaföldvár, which the only alternative bridge crossing in the region, located approximately 15 km south of the M8 route.
by Poland: a temporary through traffic ban in Tarnów – diversions for HGVs with GVW over 16 tons
Because of the expansion of Lwowska Street in Tarnów, the Municipal Roads and Transport Authority has introduced temporary traffic restrictions, including a through traffic ban for HGVs with a GVW over 16 tons.
The expansion of Lwowska Street will involve the construction of a roundabout, accompanied by alternate closures of some lanes, which may cause traffic jams and affect road safety. This is why the following diversion routes have been designated for vehicles with a GVW over 16t intending to pass through the city along the north-south or south-north axis:
➡️ Vehicles coming from Rzeszów and bound for Kielce will be diverted along the southern bypass (DK94) to the junction along Krakowska Street, then turning into Czerwona Street, and on along Czerwonych Klonów and Kwiatkowskiego (DW973) to the “Tarnów Mościce” junction. The diversion continues along the A4 motorway to the “Tarnów Centrum” junction, and further on towards Kielce or Rzeszów.
➡️ Vehicles coming from Kielce and bound for Rzeszów, Pilzno and Jasło will be diverted along the same route, staring from the “Tarnów Centrum” junction onto the A4 motorway, and then to the “Tarnów Mościce” junction and DW973 towards Mościce. After a right turn into Czerwonech Klonów and Czerwona, the diversion continues until the junction along Krakowska Street and the bypass (DK94) towards Lwowska.
Entry into the city
Vehicles with a GVW over 16 tonnes, with the point of loading or unloading located in Tarnów:
➡️ coming from the south, will be allowed to enter the Zesłańców Sybiru roundabout (intersection of Lwowska, Okrężna and Marusarz streets),
➡️coming from the north, will be allowed to enter the Reagana roundabout (intersection of Al. Jana Pawła II with Ablewicza Street).
Exceptional permits
In special cases it will be possible to obtain an access card, which will enable entry into the city beyond B-5 signs (no entry for vehicles with a specified total weight). Additionally, the authorities are considering the possibility of enabling trucks to pass through the city outside rush hours – in the evening and at night.