The German federal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania recently became the final federal state to temporarily open up its entire route network for type 1 long trucks.
As of December 1, 2023, the Ministry of Transport in Schwerin disclosed that Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania had granted approval for its complete route network for type 1 long trucks, encompassing articulated vehicles with a maximum length of 17.88 meters.
This authorization is initially effective until December 31, 2026, in accordance with the conditions outlined in the long truck exemption regulation.
Previously, the standard procedure involved scrutinizing individual route sections for suitability and then reporting any changes to the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport. The release could only be implemented following the next amendment to the federal regulation, a process deemed too protracted for logistics companies.
The Minister for Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Tourism, and Labor Reinhard Meyer remarked: “With this approval, we are meeting the economy’s desire for a more expeditious and less bureaucratic approach.”
For other long truck types (2 to 4), the preceding protocol remains unchanged. Specific routes must undergo suitability assessments for accommodating long truck traffic, and if the passability test yields positive results, the route section is then included in the positive list appended to the long truck exemption regulation, as per the guidelines of the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania State Office for Road Construction and Transport.