September and early October: Swiss weekend bans every night, plus Austria, France, Germany and Czechia at weekends
Switzerland bans trucks over 3.5 tonnes nightly from 22:00 to 05:00 throughout September and into October. Austria, France, Germany and Czechia add weekend restrictions on heavier vehicles.
From 3 September through 3 October, Switzerland enforces a nightly driving ban on all vehicles over 3.5 tonnes between 22:00 and 05:00 local time, seven nights a week. This is a blanket restriction that affects every overnight crossing or transit through Swiss territory during the period. Dispatchers planning any load into, out of or through Switzerland must build in daytime-only windows or accept delays at border queues and truck parks.
Austria bans trucks over 7.5 tonnes on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and evenings. The ban runs from 15:00 to 23:59 on Saturdays (5, 12, 19, 26 September and 3 October) and from 00:00 to 22:00 on Sundays (6, 13, 20, 27 September and 3 October). This means weekend transit through Austria is severely constrained for heavier vehicles; Friday night departures or Monday morning starts are advisable for any Austrian routing.
France bans trucks over 7.5 tonnes for the full weekend: 22:00 Saturday to 22:00 Sunday. Affected windows are 5–6 September, 12–13 September, 19–20 September, 26–27 September and 3–4 October. A two-day hold is normal for any load crossing France at the weekend.
Germany bans trucks over 7.5 tonnes from 00:00 to 22:00 on Sundays only: 6, 13, 20 and 27 September, plus 3 October (German reunification day). This is a full Sunday lockdown, so weekend splits should route around Germany or leave by Friday night and arrive by Saturday evening.
Czechia bans trucks over 7.5 tonnes from 13:00 to 22:00 on Sundays (6, 13, 20, 27 September) and also on 28 September (a local holiday). The afternoon-into-evening window is tighter than other countries but still removes weekend flexibility for Czech transits and east-bound routing.
Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland and Germany have no nationwide truck driving bans outside the windows listed above. However, Italy, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria have regional or decree-based restrictions: check locally before booking any route in those countries.
The practical takeaway: any European load crossing multiple borders between early September and early October should be routed Monday to Friday if possible. If weekend or night movement is unavoidable, pre-book truck parks and plan for longer transit windows. Use Frachta's calendar and order notes to flag ban windows to your drivers and ensure loads are not stranded at borders.