Austria public holidays 2027 truck ban: all 13 dates and the ban hours

Austria has 13 public holidays in 2027 ( Advantage Austria , page updated 2025-11-24), and on each one HGVs over 7.5 t may not drive from 00:00 to 22:00 under § 42 StVO . The same ban covers trailer combinations where the truck or the trailer is over 3.5 t. Nine of the 13 fall on weekdays and four land on a weekend, and as of 2026-10-24 no 2027 corridor or summer Saturday ban calendar has been published. This post gives the full 2027 table with weekdays checked, the hours that stack around each date, the exemptions, the fine, and the Tirol metering days already announced for the first quarter.

Which days are public holidays in Austria in 2027?

The 13 statutory holidays are 1 January, 6 January, Easter Monday, 1 May, Ascension, Whit Monday, Corpus Christi, 15 August, 26 October, 1 November, 8 December, 25 December, and 26 December. The list comes from Advantage Austria , and the Easter-based dates (2027-03-29, 2027-05-06, 2027-05-17, 2027-05-27) match it. The German name for these days is Feiertage, and the ban itself is the Lkw-Fahrverbot.

The table adds the weekday of each date and the ban window for HGVs over 7.5 t. The ban hours come from § 42 StVO plus the daily night ban. The continuous windows around weekends are our calculation of these rules taken together, not an official statement. For a day-by-day view, the Austria 2027 holiday calendar shows the same dates.

Which 2027 holidays are lost to weekends?

Four holidays fall on a weekend in 2027: Saturday 2027-05-01, Sunday 2027-08-15, Saturday 2027-12-25, and Sunday 2027-12-26. The two Sunday dates add no extra ban hours, because the Sunday ban already runs from 00:00 to 22:00. The two Saturday dates do change the picture: the holiday window of 00:00-22:00 overlaps the Saturday ban of 15:00-24:00, so the whole day is closed to HGVs instead of only the afternoon.

Easter Sunday (2027-03-28) and Whit Sunday (2027-05-16) are Sundays and therefore banned anyway. They are not among the 13 holidays. Good Friday (2027-03-26) is not on the Austrian list at all, so it carries no holiday ban and is an ordinary Friday with the night ban only.

When exactly are trucks banned on an Austrian public holiday?

On an Austrian public holiday the § 42 StVO ban runs from 00:00 to 22:00, the same window as on a Sunday. The Saturday ban runs from 15:00 to 24:00, according to the RIS text of § 42 StVO (in force 2026-04-24), and the USP business portal (updated 2026-02-17) confirms the same hours.

The weight thresholds have two parts. The ban covers a truck with a trailer where the truck or the trailer is over 3.5 t permissible gross weight, and it covers trucks, tractor units, and self-propelled work machines over 7.5 t. A solo rigid at exactly 7.5 t with no trailer is therefore outside the ban, while a light van pulling a trailer over 3.5 t is inside it.

The night ban sits on top of this. Trucks over 7.5 t may not drive on any Austrian road from 22:00 to 05:00, and the limit is 60 km/h unless signs say otherwise ( WKO overview , as of 2026-08-10). The holiday ban ends at 22:00 and the night ban starts at 22:00, so a vehicle over 7.5 t has no gap between them. On Easter Monday 2027-03-29, the earliest legal start for such a vehicle is 05:00 on Tuesday 2027-03-30.

Low-noise vehicles can be exempt from the night ban. WKO and USP describe the L-Tafel, a plate carried beside the front number plate and backed by a manufacturer confirmation that is re-checked every two years. The exempt vehicle is still held to 60 km/h unless the authority has raised the limit to 80 km/h by regulation. We have not verified a decibel threshold, so confirm the qualification with the manufacturer before relying on it.

Which 2027 holidays create the longest truck ban blocks?

Three Monday holidays in 2027 create the longest closures: Easter Monday (2027-03-29), Whit Monday (2027-05-17), and All Saints (2027-11-01). Each one joins the Saturday ban, the Sunday ban, and the Monday holiday ban into one unbroken window of 55 hours, from Saturday 15:00 to Monday 22:00. Add the night ban for vehicles over 7.5 t and the window runs to Tuesday 05:00, which is 62 hours in total.

The two Saturday holidays produce similar blocks from the Friday night ban. These figures are our own arithmetic on the § 42 hours and the night ban, so treat them as a planning aid rather than a legal statement.

The end times assume a vehicle over 7.5 t. A trailer combination that falls under the 3.5 t rule but not the 7.5 t night ban is free again after 22:00 on the last holiday, so its block ends earlier.

New Year works differently. The holiday on Friday 2027-01-01 closes the day until 22:00, the night ban follows, and the Saturday ban starts at 15:00 on 2027-01-02. That leaves one open window from 05:00 to 15:00 on Saturday.

Two bridge days stay open. Friday 2027-05-07 follows Ascension and Monday 2027-10-25 precedes the National Day, and neither carries a holiday ban, although the night ban still applies to vehicles over 7.5 t.

Which trucks are affected, and which are exempt?

HGVs over 7.5 t and trailer combinations over 3.5 t are affected, and the exemptions in § 42 StVO are narrow. The RIS text lists, among others:

• trips to and from airports and military airfields;
• combined transport within 65 km of designated rail terminals or ports;
• livestock and post;
• periodicals;
• drink supply in tourist areas;
• emergency repairs, breakdown, and towing;
• disaster response, road maintenance, and refuse collection;
• scheduled buses.

The Ortsgebiet (built-up area) exemption applies on the last two Saturdays before 24 December. In 2027, 24 December is a Friday, so those Saturdays are 2027-12-11 and 2027-12-18.

Perishable food is the exemption drivers ask about most. WKO adds certain fresh foods carried with a Frachtbrief (consignment note) or Ladeliste (load list). We could not verify which products qualify, so check the current WKO text for your commodity and carry the paperwork in the cab. The permanent rules and the full exemption list are explained in more detail in the Austria truck driving ban times and rules guide.

Are the 2027 Tirol, A4 and summer Saturday bans published yet?

No. As of 2026-10-24 we found no 2027 Austrian ban calendar for the A12 and A13 toward Italy, the A4 East, the Tirol B-roads, the Tauern A10, or the Lueg bridge Saturdays. The 2026 calendars were issued as regulations in the first half of 2026, which is why the WKO overview lists them with 2026 Federal Law Gazette references (for example BGBl. II 77/2026 for the A12 and A13, and BGBl. II 190/2026 for the Tauern A10).

The 2026 pattern gives a rough expectation, nothing more. According to the WKO overview (as of 2026-08-10), the A4 East and the Tirol B-roads had Saturday bans from 08:00 to 15:00 starting 2026-07-04, and the Tauern A10 had Saturday bans from 07:00 to 15:00 from July to September. If 2027 follows that shape, the summer bans would start on the first Saturday of July, which is 2027-07-03, and end around the end of August or early September. That is an expectation, not a published date.

The 2026 summer bans were Saturday bans on named corridors, not a nationwide weekend ban. A live lookup such as nakordoni.eu can help once new calendars appear, but confirm any date against the Federal Law Gazette before dispatch.

What are the Tirol Blockabfertigung dates in early 2027?

Tirol has announced 11 truck metering days (Blockabfertigung, where trucks are released in batches at Kufstein) for the first quarter of 2027. According to trans.info (2026-08-18), the days are Thursday 2027-01-07, then the Mondays 2027-01-11, 2027-01-18, 2027-01-25, 2027-02-01, 2027-02-08, 2027-02-15, 2027-02-22, 2027-03-01, 2027-03-08, and 2027-03-15.

Trucks are released in batches from 05:00, with roughly 250 to 300 trucks per hour at peak, according to the same report. Tirol can change the dates, further measures are possible, and Q2 dates are still to be announced. We could not confirm the schedule against a Land Tirol page, so check before you plan a Brenner departure around it. The winter restrictions are covered in the Tirol and Brenner winter truck restrictions guide.

What is the fine for breaking the holiday ban in Austria?

Violating a § 42 driving ban carries a fine of 218 EUR to 2,180 EUR under § 99 Abs. 2a StVO (in force 2026-07-30). If the fine is not paid, the substitute custody is 48 hours to 6 weeks.

For planning, use the 2,180 EUR ceiling as the exposure per violation and settle in your own transport contracts who bears it.

How do you plan 2027 routes around Austrian holidays?

Plan around the five long blocks first, then the single-day holidays, then the Tirol days. These steps work for most Austria and Brenner lanes:

1. Mark the five long blocks in your 2027 calendar: 2027-03-27 to 2027-03-30, 2027-04-30 to 2027-05-03, 2027-05-15 to 2027-05-18, 2027-10-30 to 2027-11-02, and 2027-12-24 to 2027-12-27.
2. Schedule Saturday departures so the vehicle clears Austria before 15:00. A vehicle still inside the country at 15:00 on 2027-10-30 sits through the whole All Saints block.
3. Use the open bridge days, 2027-05-07 and 2027-10-25, for catch-up runs, and remember the night ban still applies after 22:00.
4. Keep the Tirol metering days (7 January, then the Mondays through 15 March) out of tight Brenner schedules until Tirol confirms them.
5. Check the holidays of the neighbouring countries on the same route. The Germany public holidays 2027 for truck drivers guide shows where the dates differ, and the 2027 Europe-wide holiday and truck ban overview covers the other countries.
6. Re-check in spring 2027 for the 2027 corridor and summer Saturday calendars, because the 2026 versions were issued in the first half of 2026, and again for the Q2 Tirol dates.

Frequently asked questions

Are trucks allowed to drive on public holidays in Austria?

Not if they are trucks over 7.5 t or trailer combinations over 3.5 t, and only from 00:00 to 22:00. Exemptions exist, such as combined transport within 65 km of designated terminals, livestock, post, and breakdown services. Outside the ban window, normal rules apply, including the 22:00-05:00 night ban for vehicles over 7.5 t.

What time does the truck ban end on Sundays and holidays in Austria?

The § 42 StVO ban ends at 22:00 on Sundays and holidays. For a vehicle over 7.5 t the night ban starts at the same moment, so the earliest legal start is 05:00 the next morning. A vehicle that falls under the 3.5 t trailer rule but not the 7.5 t night ban can drive again from 22:00.

Is Good Friday a public holiday in Austria?

No. Good Friday is not on the list of 13 Austrian statutory holidays, so it carries no holiday ban. In 2027 it falls on 2027-03-26, and the Easter block begins only on Saturday 2027-03-27 at 15:00.

What is the weight limit for the truck ban in Austria?

Two limits apply. Trucks, tractor units, and self-propelled work machines over 7.5 t are banned, and so is a truck with a trailer where the truck or the trailer is over 3.5 t permissible gross weight. The night ban covers trucks over 7.5 t.

Does the Austrian night ban apply after the Sunday ban ends?

Yes. The night ban runs daily from 22:00 to 05:00 on all roads for trucks over 7.5 t, at 60 km/h unless signs say otherwise. Because the Sunday and holiday ban ends at 22:00, the two bans join without a gap. Low-noise vehicles with the L-Tafel and a valid manufacturer confirmation can be exempt from the night ban.

What is the fine for driving during the truck ban in Austria?

The fine is 218 EUR to 2,180 EUR for violating a § 42 driving ban under § 99 Abs. 2a StVO. If it is not paid, substitute custody of 48 hours to 6 weeks can follow.

Are refrigerated or perishable goods exempt from the Austrian truck ban?

WKO adds certain fresh foods carried with a Frachtbrief or Ladeliste to the exemptions, but we could not verify which products qualify. Refrigeration alone is not stated as a criterion in the sources we checked. Confirm your commodity against the current WKO text before dispatch and keep the paperwork in the cab.

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