Christmas is a time for travel. Children visit their parents, grandparents visit their grandchildren, and so on. This leads to heavy traffic on Europe’s roads, with traffic jams becoming a daily occurrence during the Christmas season. To ease the burden, some countries impose truck driving bans over Christmas, in addition to general weekend and holiday bans. Which regulations apply where in Europe?
Intact Supply Chains After the Peak Logistics Period
By the time Christmas Eve or Christmas Day arrives in Europe, the busiest period of the year for European logistics is over. Time for drivers to take their hands off the wheel and relax? Far from it! Consumers expect to find well-stocked shelves after the holidays, so logistics must continue – even over Christmas.
We are grateful to the logistics center employees and drivers on Europe’s roads over Christmas who provide people with essentials (and the nice things in life). However, the Christmas holidays are also a time for rest and reflection. Many European countries have driving bans over the holidays and on New Year’s Eve.
European Countries Without General Truck Driving Bans
Just because Christmas and New Year’s Eve are celebrated throughout Europe does not mean that the same rules apply to truck traffic everywhere on these days. Even within the EU, there is a patchwork of different regulations. The first major difference is between countries with and without nationwide driving bans. The following European countries do not have general truck driving bans:
- Albania
- Belgium
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Cyprus
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- Ireland
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Malta
- Moldova
- Montenegro
- Netherlands
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Serbia
- Spain
- Sweden
- UK
The absence of general bans does not preclude special regional regulations. For instance, Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, has a night driving ban. Diesel trucks that do not meet emission class IV requirements are generally prohibited from driving in Swedish cities. A similar regulation exists in the Belgian port city of Antwerp, but it can be circumvented by paying a fee. In the Netherlands, there are environmental zones closed to trucks in metropolitan areas, and in the UK, individual roads in the Greater London area have truck bans.
The examples illustrate that the regulations on regional restrictions can be very detailed. Specifically, those planning to transport oversized loads or dangerous goods or drive in large cities should obtain detailed information from the relevant national authorities in advance – not just at Christmastime.
Countries without general driving bans that require special attention at Christmas and New Year’s Eve:
- Bulgaria: There are numerous regional driving bans for trucks with a gross vehicle weight of 12 tons or more in Bulgaria. The most important regulation, however, is that these trucks are prohibited from driving on all highways on public holidays. In Bulgaria, this also applies to Christmas Eve. Therefore, trucks over 12 tons are not allowed to drive on Bulgarian highways from 12:00 a.m. on December 24 to 12:00 a.m. on December 26 and from 12:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. on January 1. Additionally, all routes affected by public holiday driving bans are closed from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the day before a public holiday and from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the day after a public holiday. Thus, on December 23 and 31, the closures occur from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., and on December 27 and January 2, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- In Greece, there are holiday driving bans for trucks with a gross vehicle weight exceeding 3.5 tons on certain highway sections from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. This applies to Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, and Epiphany (January 6) during the Christmas season.
- In Portugal, certain routes are closed to trucks transporting dangerous goods with a gross vehicle weight of more than 3.5 tons on public holidays and the day before public holidays. The following temporary closures apply to dangerous goods transport on such routes during the Christmas season: Christmas Eve from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.; December 25 from 0 p.m. to midnight; New Year’s Eve from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.; New Year’s Day from 0 p.m. to midnight. Additional minor restrictions apply to Lisbon and Porto.
- Romania: Romanian holiday driving bans are not nationwide, but very detailed. They usually apply on public holidays, such as December 25 and 26 and January 1 and 6, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. On some routes, they also apply on the days before public holidays, such as Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Overview of European Countries with Truck Driving Bans on Christmas and New Year’s
The following countries have individual truck driving bans throughout the year. There are additional bans that must be observed during the Christmas and New Year holidays.
| Country | Gross vehicle weight | When? |
| Austria | from 7.5t (semi-trailers from 3.5 t) | December 25/26, New Year’s Day, and January 6: 0 a.m. to 10 p.m.; night driving ban from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. |
| Croatia | from 7.5 t and semi-trailers longer than 14 m | Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, and January 5: 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.; December 25/26, New Year’s Day, and January 6: 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. |
| Czech Republic | from 7.5 t | Christmas Eve, December 25/26, and New Year’s Day: 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. |
| France | from 7.5 t | from Christmas Eve, 10 p.m., to December 25, 10 p.m.; from New Year’s Eve, 10 p.m., to New Year’s Day, 10 p.m. |
| Germany | from 7.5 t | December 25/26 and New Year’s Day: 12 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Hungary | from 7.5 t | from Christmas Eve, 10 p.m., to December 26, 10 p.m.; from New Year’s Eve, 10 p.m., to New Year’s Day, 10 p.m. |
| Italy | from 7.5 t | December 25/26, New Year’s Day, and January 6: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Liechtenstein | from 3.5 t (semi-trailers from 5 t) | December 25/26, New Year’s Day, and January 6: 0 a.m. to midnight; night driving ban from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. |
| Luxembourg | from 7.5 t | transit in the direction of Germany: from Christmas Eve, 11:30 p.m., to December 26, 9:45 p.m.; from New Year’s Eve, 11:30 p.m., to New Year’s Day, 9:45 p.m. transit in the direction of France: from Christmas Eve, 9:30 p.m., to December 25, 9:45 p.m.; from New Year’s Eve, 9:30 p.m., to New Year’s Day, 9:45 p.m. |
| Poland | from 12 t | December 25/26 and New Year’s Day: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Switzerland | from 3.5 t (semi-trailers from 5 t, trailers from 3.5 t) | December 25/26, New Year’s Day, and January 6: 0 a.m. to midnight; night driving ban from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. |
| Slovakia | from 7.5 t (with trailer from 3.5 t) | Christmas Eve, December 25/26, New Year’s Day, and January 6: 12 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Slovenia | from 7.5 t | December 25/26 and January 1/2: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
Be Well-Informed and Head into the New Year Safely
Our overview is intended to serve as a guide for truck drivers on duty during Christmas and New Year’s Eve. This will help them plan ahead and arrive at a suitable rest stop in good time. No matter which roads you travel on during the Christmas holidays or New Year's Eve, or whether you are enjoying your days off – we at DHL Freight wish you a safe journey or a relaxing time. Have a merry Christmas and a great start into the new year!
