Germany news: Trucking rules eased as rivers run low
Skip next section Industrial association calls for quick easing of motorway restrictions for trucks 08/08/2026 August 8, 2026 Industrial association calls for quick easing of
Skip next section Industrial association calls for quick easing of motorway restrictions for trucks 08/08/2026 August 8, 2026 Industrial association calls for quick easing of motorway restrictions for trucks Trucks standing in motorway rest areas are a frequent Sunday sight in Germany [FILE: Dec 29, 2018] Image: Christoph Hardt/Geisler-Fotopress/picture alliance Germany's main industry association, the Federation of German Industries (BDI), has welcomed plans to allow trucks to transport goods on motorways throughout the week as cargo ships are hampered by low river water levels.
"The federal government is demonstrating its ability to act in this extreme situation," Holger Lösch, BDI deputy managing director told the Rheinische Post newspaper on Saturday. "The agreed measures must now be implemented quickly." Lösch said moving goods to road and rail could ease the disruption and stabilize supply chains but conceded that it would not fully offset lost shipping capacity. In Germany, most trucks are banned from using the motorways, or Autobahnen, on Sundays and public holidays, with exceptions made for vehicles transporting, for example, perishable foodstuffs.
Several German states have temporarily relaxed the restrictions to allow more freight to be shifted from waterways to roads. Environmental groups have criticized the easing off of restrictions, saying the low river levels have been partly driven by global warming and that the underlying problem would not be solved by higher truck traffic. The Federal Association for Road Haulage and Logistics (BGL) has warned that driving and rest time regulations would still have to be adhered to despite the additional days.
Spokesman Dirk Engelhardt told the Rheinische Post on Thursday that there would thus be no increase in available driving time.
The BriefWire