BALM has published a list of public holidays on which driving bans will apply in 2024. We would like to remind readers that in Germany, lorries with a maximum authorised weight of more than 7.5 tonnes are subject to traffic restrictions on Sundays and public holidays from 0:00 to 22:00 throughout the year.
According to this year’s schedule, the movement of the above-mentioned vehicles will be prohibited on the following dates:
| Date | Holiday | Prohibited area |
| March 29 | Good Friday | All federal states of Germany |
| April 1st | Easter Monday | All federal states of Germany |
| 1 May | Labour Day | All federal states of Germany |
| May 9 | Ascension of the Lord | All federal states of Germany |
| 20th of May | Pentecost | All federal states of Germany |
| May 30 | Corpus Christi | Only in the states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. |
| October 3 | Unity Day | All federal states of Germany |
| October 31st | Reformation Day | Only in the federal states of Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia. |
| November 1 | All the saints | Only in the states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. |
| 25th of December | Christmas | All federal states of Germany |
| December 26 | Christmas | All federal states of Germany |
Fines for breaking the ban
According to the so-called catalogue of fines for 2024, the following penalties will be imposed for violating traffic bans in Germany:
| Offence | Fine |
| Illegal driving on a Sunday or a public holiday (penalty for the driver) | 120 euros |
| If the owner has ordered or permitted illegal driving on a Sunday or a public holiday (penalty for the owner / carrier of the vehicle) | 570 euros |
| Violation of the Saturday traffic ban | 25 euros |
| Saturday driving ban: if driving for more than 15 minutes during the banned hours | 60 euros |
| Ban on driving on Saturdays for the owner/operator of the vehicle, if the driver drove the vehicle for more than 15 minutes during the prohibited hours. | 150 euros |
Restrictions do not apply to everyone
Some lorries are exempt from Germany’s Sunday and public holiday bans. These are vehicles that carry out
– combined road-rail transport from the consignor to the nearest loading station or from the nearest unloading station to the consignee, up to a maximum distance of 200 km;
– combined transport (port and road) between the place of loading or unloading and a port not more than 150 kilometres away (delivery and export);
– transport and related unladen journeys of the following goods: fresh milk and fresh milk products, fresh meat and fresh meat products, fresh fish, live fish and fresh fish products, perishable fruit and vegetables.