European truck driving bans in May 2026: full calendar by country

May 2026 brings an unusually dense concentration of truck driving bans across Europe, driven by three federal public holidays — Labour Day on May 1, Ascension Day on May 14, and Whit Monday on May 25 — plus Orthodox Ascension on May 28 triggering additional restrictions in Greece. For fleet managers running cross-border freight through central Europe, the Brenner corridor, the Balkans, or the France–Spain axis, the month requires careful calendar checking against every country the route passes through.

May 1 — Labour Day: twelve countries simultaneously

Labour Day is a federal public holiday triggering full-day truck bans in twelve European countries simultaneously.

Austria and Liechtenstein: full 24-hour ban, all roads.

Bulgaria: 09:00–14:00.

Croatia: 14:00–23:00.

Czech Republic: 13:00–22:00 on motorways and category I roads.

Italy: 09:00–22:00.

France, Slovakia, Hungary, Germany: 00:00–22:00.

Greece: 08:00–13:00.

Luxembourg: 00:00–21:45.

Poland and Slovenia: 08:00–22:00.

Romania: 06:00–22:00.

Weekday night bans: every working day throughout May

On all working days in May — covering the weeks of May 4–8, 11–15, 18–22, and 25–29 — Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein maintain their standard weekday night ban for trucks over 7.5 tonnes. The restriction runs from 22:00 to 05:00 and again from 22:00 to 00:00, applying every night regardless of cargo or route.

Key additional weekday dates

May 5–6 (Tuesday–Wednesday): Bulgaria adds a daytime restriction from 15:00 to 20:00.

May 7 (Wednesday): France applies an evening restriction from 22:00 to 00:00. Luxembourg applies from 21:30 to 00:00.

May 8 (Thursday) — VE Day: France and Slovakia observe Victory in Europe Day as a public holiday — ban 00:00–22:00 in both countries. Czech Republic 13:00–22:00. Luxembourg full day 00:00–24:00. Germany does not observe May 8 as a federal holiday.

May 13 (Wednesday): France applies an evening restriction from 22:00 to 00:00. Luxembourg applies from 21:30 to 00:00 toward France, and from 23:30 to 00:00 toward Germany. Austria adds a daytime sectoral restriction from 07:00 to 22:00 — this is an A12/A13 Brenner corridor eve-of-Ascension restriction ahead of the May 14 public holiday.

May 14 (Thursday) — Ascension Day: A public holiday across Austria, Germany, France, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. Austria: 00:00–22:00 nationwide. Germany: 00:00–22:00 nationwide. France: 00:00–22:00. Luxembourg: 00:00–21:45.

May 22 (Friday): Austria adds a sectoral A12/A13 restriction from 07:00 to 22:00 — the start of the Whit weekend pre-restriction window. Bulgaria adds 15:00–20:00.

May 25 (Monday) — Whit Monday: The third federal public holiday of the month. Austria, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland: full 24-hour ban. France, Hungary, and Germany: 00:00–22:00. Luxembourg: 00:00–21:45. Bulgaria: 12:00–20:00.

May 29 (Thursday): Croatia applies a restriction from 15:00 to 23:00, ahead of Croatian State Day on May 30. Greece applies 16:00–22:00 — this is a bridge-day restriction tied to Orthodox Ascension Day, which falls on May 28 in 2026.

Saturdays in May

Every Saturday throughout May, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein apply night restrictions: 00:00–05:00 and 22:00–00:00. Luxembourg restricts traffic toward France from 21:30 to 00:00, and toward Germany from 23:30 to 00:00. France and Hungary apply an evening restriction from 22:00 to 00:00.

May 2 (Saturday): Poland adds 18:00–22:00. Slovenia adds 08:00–22:00.

May 23 (Saturday): Austria extends restrictions to 07:00–15:00 in addition to the standard night windows. Bulgaria applies 09:00–14:00. Poland adds 18:00–22:00.

May 30 (Saturday): Austria applies an extended daytime restriction from 07:00 to 00:00 — a full Saturday ban tied to the Orthodox Ascension/Croatian State Day long weekend. Croatia: 14:00–23:00. Greece: 08:00–13:00. Romania: 16:00–22:00. Italy: 09:00–14:00.

Sundays in May

Every Sunday in May the following standard bans apply:

Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland: full 24-hour ban.
France, Slovakia, Hungary, Germany: 00:00–22:00.
Czech Republic: 13:00–22:00.
Italy: 09:00–22:00.
Slovenia: 08:00–22:00.
Luxembourg: 00:00–21:45.

May 3 (Sunday): Greece adds 11:00–23:00, tied to the Labour Day return-flow period.

May 24 (Sunday — Whit Sunday): France and Luxembourg apply a full 24-hour ban. Poland adds 08:00–22:00.

May 31 (Sunday): Croatia adds 12:00–23:00. Romania adds 06:00–22:00.

Planning implications for fleet managers

May 2026 has no clean week for Germany–Italy Brenner corridor traffic. The May 1 Labour Day ban hits on Friday, closing the first working day of the month. May 8 closes France and Slovakia. May 14 Ascension Day closes Germany, Austria, France, and Switzerland simultaneously — the three most critical countries for Alpine transit. May 25 Whit Monday closes the same corridor again. That is four prohibited days on the Brenner axis within a single month, plus the additional A12/A13 sectoral bans on May 13 and May 22 that compress the usable windows further.

For Balkan routes, the Croatian State Day on May 30 combined with the Orthodox Ascension bridge day on May 29 and the Greek restrictions creates a three-day disruption window at the end of the month that affects the Slovenia–Croatia–Greece corridor simultaneously.

Loads that cannot be held should be routed before 00:00 on each ban day or scheduled for departure after the ban window closes that evening. For Austria, the night ban between 22:00 and 05:00 means the earliest permitted departure window on any restricted day is 05:00 — not midnight.

Frequently asked questions

Which countries ban trucks on Ascension Day, 14 May 2026?

Austria (00:00–22:00 nationwide), Germany (00:00–22:00), France (00:00–22:00), and Luxembourg (00:00–21:45) all observe Ascension Day as a public holiday with a full truck driving ban. Switzerland and Liechtenstein apply a 24-hour ban. The restriction does not apply in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, or Poland on this date.

Does the May 8 VE Day truck ban apply in Germany?

No. May 8 is not a federal public holiday in Germany. The VE Day ban applies in France (00:00–22:00), Slovakia (00:00–22:00), Czech Republic (13:00–22:00), and Luxembourg (full day). German trucks are unaffected on May 8, but loads transiting through France or Slovakia on that date will face restrictions.

Why does Austria have an additional restriction on May 13?

May 13 is the Wednesday before Ascension Day (May 14), which is a public holiday in Austria. ASFINAG and the Tyrol regional government publish calendar-based sectoral restrictions on the A12 Inntal and A13 Brenner motorways ahead of major holiday weekends. The May 13 daytime restriction from 07:00 to 22:00 is part of this pre-holiday corridor management, separate from the statutory nationwide ban on May 14 itself.

Why are there Greek truck restrictions on May 29–30?

Orthodox Easter falls on April 19 in 2026, placing Orthodox Ascension Day on May 28 (Thursday). May 29 (Friday) is the bridge day, triggering Greece’s standard outbound traffic restriction from 16:00 to 22:00. May 30 (Saturday) carries the return-flow restriction from 08:00 to 13:00. These restrictions apply to trucks over 3.5 tonnes on Greek motorways and national roads.

What is the alcohol limit for truck drivers in Austria and Germany during these restricted periods?

The alcohol limit is unchanged by driving ban periods. Austria and Germany both apply a 0.5 g/l standard limit, but professional drivers — those operating commercial vehicles as part of their employment — are held to a 0.1 g/l limit in Austria and face stricter consequences than private drivers at 0.5 g/l in Germany. Neither country changes these thresholds on public holidays.