Truck driving bans over Christmas 2026 and New Year 2027

Truck driving bans by country, 24 December 2026 to 3 January 2027

Of the nine countries we checked, we found a holiday ban for trucks only in Germany and Poland. In Germany, trucks over 7.5 tonnes cannot drive from 00:00 to 22:00 on Friday 25, Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 December 2026. The Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden and Denmark have no general holiday ban. We found none for Lithuania, Latvia or Norway.

The weight limit is the permitted maximum weight of the vehicle, not the weight of the goods. A tractor with a standard curtainsider trailer is over both limits.

Day-by-day calendar for the holiday weeks

The calendar shows every day from Thursday 24 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027. On 24, 28, 29, 30 and 31 December and on 2 January, we found no ban in any of the nine countries. The other seven countries are the Netherlands, Belgium, Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Germany also bans trucks on every Sunday of the year. That rule adds Sunday 27 December and Sunday 3 January.

Germany: Sunday and holiday ban for trucks over 7.5 tonnes

Germany bans trucks over 7.5 tonnes, and trailers behind any truck, on Sundays and public holidays from 00:00 to 22:00. Over Christmas 2026, the ban days are Friday 25, Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 December. The rule is § 30 of the German road traffic regulations (StVO). It covers all roads and motorways.

The ban covers paid goods transport and the empty trips that belong to it. An empty truck that drives to a loading point in Germany on 25 December must also wait. Christmas Eve on 24 December and New Year’s Eve on 31 December are normal driving days in Germany. On 25 and 26 December, trucks may drive again from 22:00 to 24:00.

Some loads may drive during the ban. The main exemptions are fresh milk and dairy products, fresh meat, fresh fish, and perishable fruit and vegetables. Combined transport is also exempt. This covers trips to or from the nearest rail station up to 200 km, and trips to or from a port within 150 km.

For other loads, the German authorities give an exemption permit only in urgent cases, when no other transport is possible. A truck that leaves the ferry in Kiel on a ban day is on German roads. The § 30 text does not say if a ferry crossing counts as port transport. Plan around the ban unless the local authority confirms that your load qualifies.

Poland: holiday ban for vehicles over 12 tonnes

Poland bans vehicles over 12 tonnes from 08:00 to 22:00 on the public holidays listed in a 2007 regulation. Over the holidays, the ban days are Friday 25 and Saturday 26 December 2026 and Friday 1 January 2027. Between the two Christmas ban days, trucks may drive from 22:00 on 25 December to 08:00 on 26 December.

Since 2025, 24 December is a day off work in Poland. The truck ban regulation did not change, so vehicles over 12 tonnes may drive on 24 December 2026. The ban list also does not include 31 December or 6 January. The evening ban from 18:00 to 22:00 before some holidays does not apply before Christmas or New Year.

The ban applies to Lithuanian, Latvian and other foreign trucks in transit. The main exemptions are perishable food listed in the regulation when it fills a large part of the load, live animals, medicines and combined transport. A truck that entered Poland before the ban may drive up to 50 km from the border crossing.

An amendment from August 2026 added exemptions for military transport and driving schools. It did not change the ban days or the hours.

Countries where we found no general holiday ban

The Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden and Denmark have no general truck driving ban on Sundays or public holidays. The Latvian road transport authority (ATD) states this. We found no general holiday driving ban for trucks in Lithuania, Latvia or Norway in official sources (checked October 2026). Local or temporary restrictions can still apply, for example city zones and road signs.

A day without a ban does not mean that the receiver is open. In Lithuania, 24, 25 and 26 December and 1 January are public holidays under the Labour Code. In Latvia, the public holidays are 24, 25, 26 and 31 December and 1 January. Ask both sites for their closed days before you book. A truck that arrives at a closed warehouse has to wait.

What the bans mean on each RNJ Transport lane

The effect depends on the route. A load from the Netherlands or Belgium to Lithuania or Latvia crosses Germany and Poland by road, so both bans apply. A load between Lithuania and Sweden on the ferry from Klaipėda to Karlshamn crosses no country where we found a holiday ban.

Tell RNJ Transport the loading date and the latest delivery date when you ask for a price. Send them with the route and the load size in the price form.

• Netherlands or Belgium to Lithuania or Latvia: the truck must leave German roads before 00:00 on Friday 25 December. Otherwise it can drive in Germany only from 22:00 to 24:00 on 25 and 26 December. The German ban ends at 22:00 on Sunday 27 December. In Poland, the truck stops from 08:00 to 22:00 on 25 and 26 December.
• Germany with the Baltic states: the road route through Poland meets both bans. On the ferry route between Kiel and Klaipėda, only the German ban applies, on the German side.
• Lithuania with Sweden: Sweden has no holiday ban, and we found none for Lithuania. Check the ferry timetable for the holiday weeks before you book.
• Lithuania with Norway: Sweden has no holiday ban, and we found none for Norway. Loads to or from Norway need customs declarations, so check the customs opening hours on the holiday days.

Booking checklist for the holiday weeks 2026/27

Use these rules for a load from the Netherlands or Belgium to Lithuania or Latvia. They come from the ban dates and the public holidays, not from a fixed transit time. Ask us for the transit time on your route.

1. 1

   Fix the latest delivery day

   24, 25 and 26 December are public holidays in Lithuania and Latvia. Plan delivery by Wednesday 23 December 2026, or agree a holiday delivery with the receiver.

2. 2

   Count back to the loading day

   Ask us for the transit time on your route. Start from the delivery day, subtract the transit time and add spare time for traffic and weather.

3. 3

   Check the German deadline

   The truck must leave German roads before 00:00 on Friday 25 December. After that, it can drive only from 22:00 to 24:00 on 25 and 26 December. The ban ends at 22:00 on Sunday 27 December.

4. 4

   Check the Polish ban

   In Poland, vehicles over 12 tonnes stop from 08:00 to 22:00 on 25 and 26 December 2026 and on 1 January 2027.

5. 5

   Plan the New Year loads

   Germany and Poland have no ban on 31 December, but it is a public holiday in Latvia. Germany and Poland ban trucks on 1 January, and Germany bans them again on Sunday 3 January.

6. 6

   Book early

   Ask for a price as soon as you know the loading date. Tell us the latest delivery day and the closed days of both sites.