€444 fine or a sweltering cab? Italy rejects relief for truck drivers

It is 40 degrees outside, so inside the cab it will be at least 50, perhaps even 60, said Dario Carotenuto, a deputy from the Five Star Movement, arguing for a temporary exemption from Italy’s rules.

The dispute is about more than air conditioning. It pits two obligations against each other: limiting engine idling and ensuring that drivers can genuinely take the rest required by law.

Exception proposed only for extreme heat

The measure considered by the Italian Chamber of Deputies was deliberately narrow. It would not have created a general right to leave engines running. Instead, the exception was intended to cover truck drivers during prolonged stops in periods of exceptionally high temperatures, allowing them to run the engine to power the cab’s air conditioning.

The proposal was rejected. A total of 107 deputies voted for it, 165 voted against it and two abstained, according to Italian transport website uominietrasporti.it.

Carotenuto said during the debate that a similar proposal had been put forward over the previous four years.

Idling can cost up to €444

Italian law prohibits drivers from leaving a parked vehicle’s engine running to operate the air conditioning. Breaking the rule can result in a fine of between €223 and €444.

The problem becomes more serious when a legally required break or rest period falls during a heatwave. A driver may have to spend several hours in the cab, while a truck parked in direct sunlight can become far hotter inside than the surrounding air.

Many trucks still lack auxiliary air conditioning for use while parked.

Newer vehicles are increasingly equipped with independent systems powered by batteries or other energy sources, making it possible to cool the cab without running the main engine. Older parts of the fleet, however, often lack this equipment.

Rest periods are a safety issue

Rules on driving times and rest periods are intended to reduce fatigue and improve road safety. Simply stopping the truck does not guarantee effective rest if conditions inside the cab become difficult to endure.

That leaves Italy facing a fundamental question: can a driver genuinely take the rest required by law if there is no way to maintain a safe temperature inside the cab while parked?

Operators must also consider the business impact. Running an engine at idle consumes fuel, increases wear on the powertrain and creates additional noise and exhaust emissions.

An alternative: auxiliary cab air conditioning

Italian transport media have noted that the choice need not be between paying a fine and leaving the engine running. A technical solution is already available. Auxiliary cab air conditioning can maintain a suitable temperature for several hours without starting the main engine.

These systems can also be retrofitted to used trucks.

Their benefits go beyond avoiding penalties. They reduce fuel consumption during stops, noise and emissions while also improving the conditions in which drivers rest. Support for retrofitting auxiliary air conditioning could therefore be one option discussed in Italy, particularly for older trucks that were not equipped with it at the factory.

One heatwave—or a recurring problem?

Heatwaves do not necessarily last for just one exceptionally hot weekend. High temperatures can continue for many days and return several times during the same season.

A temporary waiver of the engine-idling ban would offer only short-term relief. Fitting trucks with auxiliary air conditioning would improve working conditions permanently.

Italy’s example highlights a broader fleet-modernisation challenge: the technology needed to protect driver rest while limiting engine use already exists, but it is not yet standard across all vehicles still in service.

Europe takes different approaches to cab cooling while parked

Italy is among the countries where penalties for leaving an engine running while parked are particularly high. The maximum fine there is €444.

For comparison, a similar offence in Madrid carries a fine of around €100. However, the rules, penalties and enforcement practices vary considerably between countries—and sometimes between individual cities.

What are the rules in the UK?

British drivers are also expected to switch off their engines rather than leave them running to power air conditioning while stationary.

Rule 123 of the Highway Code states that a driver must not leave an engine running unnecessarily while a vehicle is stationary on a public road. If the vehicle is likely to remain stationary for more than a couple of minutes, drivers are generally advised to apply the parking brake and switch off the engine.

Unlike the rejected Italian proposal, there is no specific national exemption allowing an HGV engine to remain running during hot weather solely to cool the cab. The expressly mentioned exceptions include vehicles stationary in traffic and engines running for fault diagnosis.

Enforcement and penalties can vary locally. In England, authorised council officers may ask a driver to switch off an unnecessarily idling engine and issue a penalty if the driver refuses. The RAC reported during the June 2026 heatwave that penalties can range from £20 when paid promptly to substantially higher amounts under some local schemes, with fines of up to £110 possible in certain London boroughs.

However, the national rule specifically refers to vehicles stationary on a public road. Whether it applies at a service area or privately operated lorry park depends on the legal status of the location, while the site operator may impose separate no-idling conditions.

For HGV drivers taking a statutory break in the cab, the practical problem is therefore similar to that in Italy: without auxiliary air conditioning, using the truck’s main engine for cooling may expose the driver to enforcement, particularly when parked on the roadside.

The debate is not over

By rejecting the proposal, Italy’s Chamber of Deputies denied drivers the requested exemption during periods of extreme heat. The decision does not resolve the problem faced by trucks without auxiliary cab air conditioning.

When a driver must spend several hours resting in the vehicle, cab conditions affect far more than comfort. They also determine the quality of the rest and the safety of the journey that follows.

The Italian debate therefore moves beyond the €444 fine to a broader question: is the older part of Europe’s truck fleet prepared for increasingly long periods of extreme temperatures?