by No permit means no access to the Port of Dover
In anticipation of an expected increase in weekend traffic volumes from July 13 to mid-August, M20 will be closed between Maidstone and Ashford overnight on Wednesday (10 July) to allow the Operation Brock contraflow to be deployed.
The system will also reduce the need for the sudden closures of the A20 Roundhill Tunnels and help keep local roads flowing more freely in busy periods.
When will the new permit system be introduced?
The permit system will be in force from 10 July, when Operation Brock is introduced on the M20 motorway in readiness for a busy summer getaway period. It will be used as soon as Dover TAP is instigated, and Operation Brock is being actively used to control the flow of freight to the Port of Dover. Lorries will only be released from Brock when there is enough room in TAP.
How will the permit system work?
Freight drivers MUST follow the correct route on the M20 and collect a permit at the front of Operation Brock. If they do not, they WILL NOT be able to access the Port of Dover.
• Permits will apply to Port of Dover bound freight drivers only and will be issued at the front of the Operation Brock queue.
• Permits will be checked at the A20/B2011 Courtwood Interchange in Dover TAP. If drivers have a valid permit, they will be allowed to re-enter the TAP queue on the A20 and continue their onward journey to the port.
• If they DO NOT have a valid permit, they will be turned back to join the Brock queue
REMEMBER: no permit means no access to the Port of Dover
What happens if hauliers try to bypass this system?
Kent Police and the Driver Vehicle Standards Agency can issue on-the-spot £300 fines to lorry drivers stopped attempting to avoid the traffic management system. Teams are stationed at points along the Kent road network to enforce the legislation and redirect portal-bound freight traffic to the back of the Brock queue on the M20.
What arrangements are in place for local hauliers and deliveries?
• Local HGVs and deliveries WILL NOT be pulled off the A20, but allowed to continue their journey, with passenger and local traffic, onwards into Dover.
• Those Kent hauliers that qualify for the Local Haulier Permit will be sent this shortly, ahead of the busy summer period.
• There is no need to apply for a Local Haulier Permit as, if you fall within the catchment area, KMRF already has your detail
Operation Brock
With extremely busy travel weekends predicted from the 13 July right through to the middle of August, the contraflow traffic management scheme will be reinstated on a 13-mile section of the M20 between junctions 8 (for Maidstone) and 9 (at Ashford). To safely deploy the contraflow, the M20 will be closed – London bound from junction 9 to 8 and coastbound junction 7 to 9 – overnight from 8pm on Wednesday 10 July to 6am on Thursday 11 July. When the M20 reopens on Thursday, 11 July, the Brock contraflow will be in place and all signs should be followed. Once the barrier is in place, all HGVs heading for the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel must follow the signs to join Operation Brock at M20 junction 8.
Any EU-bound HGVs not complying with signage and trying to use another route to Eurotunnel or the Port of Dover risk a fine of £300. They will also be sent to the back of the queue by Police or enforcement agents, wasting time, fuel, and money. This includes trying to bypass the M20 by using the M2/A2 at Brenley Corner.
All other coast bound traffic – including local freight and car drivers heading for the continent – should follow the signs and cross over to enter the contraflow on the M20 London bound carriageway. Anyone planning to use Eurotunnel and the Port of Dover are advised to plan their journeys and check with the travel operator before setting out. They should also allow more time for their journeys and make sure they are prepared for delays, so should have plenty of fuel, warm clothes, and supplies such as food and drink.
by Czechia – ambiguity regarding the driving ban on July 6
July 5 and 6 are public holidays in Czechia (Cyril and Methodius Day and the Anniversary of the Death of Jan Hus). July 6 is a Saturday when a holiday driving ban is in effect. The overlap of the two banks makes it difficult to determine the exact hours when the driving ban applies.
According to current regulations, HGVs are prohibited from driving on public holidays, from 1:00 PM to 10:00 PM. This year, however, the second day of the holiday falls on a Saturday during a holiday period, when an additional driving ban is in effect from 07:00 AM to 1:00 PM. As a result of this overlap, HGVs would have to remained parked from 07:00 AM to 10:00 PM.
To clarify this situation, the Czech Ministry of Transport has explained that the holiday ban takes precedence. If a day on which driving restrictions for certain vehicles apply is a public holiday, the restriction applies in accordance with § 43 section 1 letter a) of Act No. 361/2000. This means the driving ban on July 5 and 6 applies from 1:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
by Nighttime closures of the Belgian E25-E40/A602 motorway link
The Liège – E25-E40/A602 motorway link will be closed for several nights, starting from June 9.
1️⃣ The section between junction 35 “Avroy/Laveu” and junction 39 “Chênée” will be closed in both directions on the following nights:
❌ from Sunday, June 9, to Monday, June 10,
❌ from Monday, June 10, to Tuesday, June 11,
❌ from Tuesday, June 11, to Wednesday, June 12,
❌ from Wednesday, June 12, to Thursday, June 13,
❌ from Thursday, June 13, to Friday, June 14.
❌ from Sunday, June 16, to Monday, June 17,
❌ from Monday, June 17, to Tuesday, June 18,
❌ from Tuesday, June 18, to Wednesday, June 19.
On these nights, the section will be completely closed in both directions from 10:00 PM (access will be gradually closed from 8:30 PM) to 6:00 AM (the section be will gradually reopened from 5:00).
➡Diversions will follow along the A604, S1 and S20.
2️⃣ The E25-E40/A062 motorway link will only be closed in the direction of Brussels, starting from junction 39 “Chênée” to junction 35 “Avroy/Laveu”, on the following nights:
❌ from Wednesday, June 19, to Thursday, June 20,
❌ from Thursday, June 20, to Friday, June 21,
❌ from Sunday, June 23, to Monday, June 24,
❌ from Monday, June 24, to Tuesday, June 25,
❌ from Tuesday, June 25, to Wednesday, June 26,
❌ from Wednesday, June 26, to Thursday, June 27,
❌ from Thursday, June 27, to Friday, June 28.
On these nights, the carriageway towards Brussels will be closed from 10:00 PM (access will be gradually closed from 8:30 PM) to 6:00 AM (the section be will gradually reopened from 5:00).
➡ Diversions will follow along the A604 and S20.
by Tunel Fréjus – prace konserwacyjne od 1 lipca do 1 sierpnia 2024 r.
Całkowite zamknięcie tunelu Fréjus od poniedziałku 8 lipca od 22:00 do wtorku 9 lipca do 6:00.
Szczegółowy kalendarz przerw i ruchu naprzemiennego w tunelu Fréjus od 1 lipca do 1 sierpnia 2024 r. dostępny jest TUTAJ.
by Słowacja – odstępstwo od zakazu w dniu 5 lipca b.r.
Na wniosek stowarzyszenia ČESMAD Slovakia, Prezydium Policji Republiki Słowackiej przyznało zwolnienie z zakazu prowadzenia pojazdów w dniu 5 lipca 2024 r.
Zwolnienie dotyczy wszystkich samochodów ciężarowych poruszających się po autostradach, drogach dla pojazdów silnikowych, drogach klasy I oraz drogach dla ruchu międzynarodowego wjeżdżających na terytorium Republiki Słowackiej, których miejsce przeznaczenia (np. baza firmy lub miejsce rozładunku) znajduje się na terytorium Republiki Słowackiej.
by Slovakia: derogation from the HGV driving ban on July 5
At the request of ČESMAD Slovakia, the Slovakian Presidium of the Police Force has granted a general exemption from the driving ban on Friday, July 5.
The derogation applies to all heavy goods vehicles traveling on motorways, roads for motor vehicles, 1st class roads and roads used by international traffic, entering Slovakia and travelling to destinations (e.g. the company’s base or the place of unloading) located in Slovakia.
by Switzerland: A13 closed
The A13 motorway in Switzerland has been closed for an indefinite period of time following massive thunderstorms that have caused significant damage.
An approximately 200-meter motorway section above Lostallo has been destroyed, affecting the north-south route enabling traffic between Lake Constance and the San Bernardino Pass towards Italy, especially when the Gotthard Tunnel on the A2 is inaccessible. The A13 motorway is scheduled to be closed until June 28 at night for maintenance works.
According to preliminary estimates, the A13 motorway will remain closed for many months owing to the damage caused by the storms, which is being assessed by Swiss Federal Roads Office (Astra) Work to repair the damaged section could take three to four weeks. Drivers are advised to use the alternative route via the E35/A2 Gotthard north-south (in both directions), but should be prepared for longer waiting times and possible traffic jams.
by Romania: HGV restrictions – Update for June 20
CNAIR, the Romanian Road Infrastructure Management Company, has informed that based on weather warnings regarding upcoming heatwaves (33-37 degrees Celsius) vehicle weight restrictions will be introduced between 10:00 AM and 8:00 PM from June 21 to June 24.
Restrictions apply to vehicles with a GVW over 7.5 tons on the following sections of motorways, expressways and national roads:
– on June 21, in the following counties:
Giurgiu, Teleorman, Dolj, Olt, Timiș, Caraș-Severin, Arad, Hunedoara, Alba, Sibiu, Brasov and Covasna.
– on June 22 in the following counties:
Ilfov, Giurgiu, Argeș, Dâmbovița, Teleorman, Dolj, Vâlcea, Mehedinți, Gorj, Olt, Timiș, Caraș-Severin, Arad and Hunedoara.
– on June 23, in the following counties:
Ilfov, Prahova, Giurgiu, Argeș, Dâmbovița, Teleorman, Dolj, Vâlcea, Mehedinți, Gorj, Olt, Caraș – Severin, Ialomita and Călărași.
– on June 24 in the following counties:
Ilfov, Giurgiu, Argeș, Dâmbovița, Teleorman, Dolj, Vâlcea, Mehedinți, Gorj, Olt, Caraș – Severin, Ialomita and Călărași.
by Hungary: partial suspension of the HGV driving ban
In response to a request from the Association of Hungarian Road Transporters (MKFE) regarding a period of abnormally hot weather, the Ministry of Transport has partially suspended the HGV driving ban on national roads on the night from the 22nd to the 23rd of June.
Normally, the HGV driving ban would apply from 10:00 PM on Saturday to 10:00 PM on Sunday, but out of a concern for drivers’ health, the Ministry of Transport has decided to shorten the duration of the ban, which is due to start at 10 PM. on June 22 and will finish at 06:00 AM on Sunday, June 23.
by Italy: two days with an additional driving ban on the A22
Because of upcoming public holidays in Austria and Germany, the Prefecture of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano has introduced a driving ban for vehicles with a GVW over 7.5 tons on the northbound carriageway of the Brenner motorway (A22) between Vipiteno and the border with Austria (northbound) on the following days:
- ▶️ Monday, May 20, from 00:00 to 10:00 PM
- ▶️Thursday, May 30, from 00:00 to 10:00 PM
Vehicles travelling along this section when the ban is in effect are obliged to park at the Sadobre parking lot in Vipiteno or at other parking lots indicated by Autobrennero S.p.A.
Vehicles carrying perishable food products, farm animals or vehicles involved in combined road-rail transport with a railway reservation are excluded from the ban.