Berlin and Brandenburg extend exemptions from truck driving bans

Berlin and Brandenburg have extended until 30 September this year the exemptions from truck driving bans related to the effects of low water levels. For the first time, the exemptions also cover selected oversized and heavy transports, while Berlin has introduced an additional facilitation for transports of up to 44 tonnes.

Persistently low water levels on German rivers are severely restricting inland navigation. Goods that are normally transported by barge cannot currently be transported by water in some cases, or can only be transported to a limited extent. As a result, some freight must be shifted to road and rail. Against this backdrop, Berlin and Brandenburg have extended the existing exemptions from the Sunday and public holiday truck driving ban, as well as from the Saturday ban under the Ferienreiseverordnung.
The regulation applies until and including 30 September this year (the previous regulation was valid until 31 August). It covers trucks with a permissible gross weight of more than 7.5 tonnes as well as trucks with trailers. The exemptions also cover necessary empty runs, provided they are directly connected with transports covered by the regulation.

The most important change concerns oversized and heavy transports (Großraum- und Schwertransporte, GST). They have been explicitly included in the exemptions, but this does not mean a general exemption from the bans for all such transports. They must still be directly or indirectly related to the need to mitigate the effects of low water levels. This concerns the transport of goods whose movement by water has been made more difficult by limited navigability.

44 tonnes and divisible loads – what exactly is changing?

For GST transports, Berlin has introduced an additional facilitation when permits are issued. For a total weight of up to 44 tonnes, the requirement that the transported load be indivisible may be waived. This makes it possible to include in the exemption transports involving a divisible load if the transport is related to the effects of low water levels.
However, this does not mean that the general weight limit for trucks has been raised to 44 tonnes. Nor does it constitute permission for unrestricted transport of divisible loads while the bans are in force. The 44-tonne limit specifically refers to the exemption from the indivisibility requirement when issuing a permit for an oversized or heavy transport.
For example, if a load that under normal circumstances would be transported by barge has to be moved by road because of low water levels, it may, under certain conditions, be covered by the exemption even if it does not meet the standard indivisibility criterion. The key requirement remains demonstrating that the transport genuinely serves to mitigate the effects of restricted inland navigation.
Berlin has also stipulated that, in the case of GST transports, the travel time should be limited to the minimum necessary in the specific case.

Not every heavy transport will qualify for the exemption

The extension of the rules does not mean that a company carrying out a standard oversized transport can automatically travel on a Sunday, public holiday or Saturday subject to the ban. The condition is specific: the transport must be connected with addressing the effects of low water levels on German waterways.
The regulation covers goods that are normally transported by water and whose transport has been made more difficult by low water levels. Necessary empty runs that are directly connected with such transport are also covered by the exemption.
Importantly, the extension of the exemption does not remove the other requirements applicable to oversized and heavy transports. The exemption from the indivisibility requirement is part of the rules applied when issuing the required permit; it does not constitute a complete abolition of the permitting procedure for GST transports.

The extension of the exemptions is linked to the exceptionally difficult situation on German waterways. The justification for Berlin's decision refers, among other things, to very low water levels on the Rhine, Danube and Elbe and the resulting serious restrictions on navigation.
In the authorities' assessment, partially shifting freight transport to roads is necessary to maintain supply chains for the economy and ensure supplies. The exemptions are valid until and including 30 September 2026. They do not abolish the Sunday and public holiday truck driving ban - the ban remains the rule, while the exemptions apply only to transports meeting the specific conditions related to low water levels.