Ban on lorries on Sundays and public holidays; applying for an exemption

Ban on driving on Sundays and public holidays

The Road Traffic Regulations (StVO) stipulates in Section 30(3) that on Sundays and public holidays between 00:00 and 22:00, lorries with a maximum authorised mass exceeding 7.5 tonnes and trailers coupled to lorries are not permitted on the roads. Public holidays are specified in Section 30(4) of the StVO.

The driving ban therefore applies both to lorries travelling alone with a maximum authorised mass of over 7.5 tonnes and to any combination of a trailer and a lorry, regardless of their weight. However, the driving ban does not apply to private lorry traffic that is not for commercial purposes.

The ban on driving on Sundays and public holidays was introduced as early as 1956. The main reasons were to protect peace and quiet on Sundays and public holidays, and to keep the road network free of heavy goods vehicle traffic in favour of private car traffic, thereby facilitating increased leisure travel on Sundays and public holidays and helping to improve road safety on those days.

Certain types of transport, such as those carrying perishable fruit and vegetables or fresh milk and dairy products, as well as those used by fairground operators, are exempt from the ban by law. In addition, the road traffic authorities may grant exemptions on a case-by-case basis for other urgent shipments.

Holiday travel ban

To protect holiday travel, there is a ban on lorries in addition to the Sunday and public holiday driving ban, in accordance with the Holiday Travel Regulation. This driving ban applies to the same vehicles and vehicle combinations as those already mentioned above, on all Saturdays from 1 July up to and including 31 August each year, between 7.00 am and 8.00 pm, on all motorways and federal roads specified in the Regulation. Further information can be found under ‘Related Topics’.