🇫🇷 France — traffic bans heavy goods vehicles 2026
In France, the heart of the system is a national ban on weekends and public holidays for vehicles over 7.5 t GVW. Added to this are special Saturdays in summer and winter, a reinforced regime in Île-de-France, a host of routes closed in winter in Rhône-Alpes, and permanent local bans which depend on tonnage. Here is the detail, route by route.
1. General rule
The national ban targets heavy goods vehicles over 7.5 t GVW (special and agricultural vehicles are excluded). It plays on several niches which combine:
🚫Weekend. From Saturday 10 p.m. to Sunday 10 p.m..
📅Public holidays. From 12 a.m. to 10 p.m. on public holidays (excluding public Saturdays), and 0h to 24h when a public holiday falls on a Saturday.
🌙Eves of public holidays. From 10 p.m. on the eve of a public holiday (unless the day before is a Sunday), and 0h to 24h when the eve falls on a Sunday.
2. Special Saturdays 2026
Additional prohibitions are added to the general rule for the transport of goods weighing more than 7.5 t, on certain busy days:
☀️Summer period (entire network). From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays July 11, 18 and 25 as well as Saturdays 1er and August 8, 2026.
❄️Winter period (Rhône-Alpes network). From 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays February 7, 14, 21 and 28 and Saturday March 7, 2026.
3. Public holidays 2026
On the dates below, the prohibitions in section 1 apply. Three holidays are only valid in the departments of Moselle, Haut-Rhin and Bas-Rhin (indicated in parentheses).
1er January — New Year's Day
April 3 — Good Friday (Moselle, Haut-Rhin, Bas-Rhin)
April 6 — Easter Monday
1er May — Labor Day
May 8 — Victory 1945
May 14 — Ascension
May 25 — Pentecost Monday
July 14 — National holiday
August 15 — Assumption
1er November — All Saints’ Day
November 11 — Armistice 1918
December 25 — Christmas
December 26 — Saint-Étienne (Moselle, Haut-Rhin, Bas-Rhin)
4. Île-de-France
In Île-de-France, additional slots are superimposed on the general rule. They are organized according to the direction of traffic. Exception: during summer Saturdays July 11, 18 and 25 and 1er and August 8, traffic is prohibited from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. but becomes authorized again from 7 p.m. to midnight.
Direction Paris → Province ▾
Friday — from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Saturday — from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., then from 10 p.m. to midnight.
Sunday and public holiday — from 0h to 24h.
Public holiday eve — from 4 p.m. to midnight.
Direction Province → Paris ▾
Monday and day after public holiday — from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Saturday and eve of public holiday — from 10 p.m. to midnight.
Sunday and public holiday — from 0h to 24h.
Motorway sections prohibited all year round ▾
A6a and A6b — from the Paris ring road to their connection with the A6 and the A10 (Wissous).
A106 — from its connection with the A6b to Orly airport.
A6 — from its A6a/A6b connection to the connection with the RN104-Est (Lisses).
A10 — from its A6a/A6b connection to the RN20 (Champlan).
A13 — from the ring road to the Poissy/Orgeval interchange (Orgeval).
A12 — from its connection to the A13 (Rocquencourt triangle) to the RN10 (Montigny-le-Bretonneux).
5. Rhône-Alpes routes prohibited in winter
During winter, a set of mountain routes in the Rhône-Alpes network are closed to heavy goods vehicles. Click on a corridor to expand the details of the sections concerned:
Bourg-en-Bresse / Chamonix ▾
A40 — from Pont d'Ain (bif. A40/A42) to Passy-le-Fayet (bif. A40/RD1205).
RD1084 — from Pont d'Ain (bif. RD1084/RD1075) to Bellegarde.
RD1206 — from Bellegarde to Annemasse.
RD1205 — from Annemasse to Passy-le-Fayet.
RN205 — from Passy-le-Fayet to Chamonix.
Lyon / Chambéry / Tarentaise / Maurienne ▾
A43 — from the A46 South/A43 interchange to the A43/A432 interchange in the direction Lyon → Chambéry, then from the A43/A432 interchange to the Fréjus tunnel.
A430 — from Pont Royal (A43/A430 junction) to Gilly-sur-Isère (A430/RN90 junction).
RD1090 — from Pont-Royal to Gilly-sur-Isère.
RN90 — from Gilly-sur-Isère to Bourg-Saint-Maurice.
RD1090 — from Bourg-Saint-Maurice to Séez.
RD306 (Rhone) and RD1006 (Isère/Savoie) — from Saint-Bonnet-de-Mure to Freney.
RN201 — Chambéry rapid transit road.
Lyon / Grenoble / Briançon ▾
A48 — from Coiranne (bif. A48/A43) to Saint-Égrève (bif. A48/A480).
A480 — from Saint-Égrève to Pont-de-Claix (bif. A480/RN85).
RN85 — from Pont-de-Claix to Vizille (bif. RN85/RD1091).
RD1091 — from Vizille to Briançon.
Bellegarde and Saint-Julien-en-Genevois / Annecy / Albertville ▾
A41 North — from Saint-Julien-en-Genevois (A40/A41 north junction) to Cruseilles (A410/A41 north junction).
RD1201 — from Saint-Julien-en-Genevois to Annecy.
RD1508 — from Bellegarde to Annecy.
RD3508 — Annecy bypass.
RD1508 — from Annecy to Ugine.
RD1212 — from Ugine to Albertville.
Sallanches / Albertville ▾
RD1212 — from Sallanches to Albertville.
RD1205 — from Annemasse to Sallanches.
Chambéry / Annecy / Scientrier ▾
A410 — from Scientrier (A410/A40 junction) to Cruseilles (A410/A41 north junction).
A41 North — from Cruseilles to the A43 connection at Chambéry.
RD1201 — between Chambéry and Annecy.
RD1203 — between Annecy and Bonneville.
Grenoble / Chambéry ▾
A41 South — between Grenoble and the A43 (Francin interchange) in Montmélian, heading north.
RD1090 — between Montmélian and Pontcharra.
6. Permanent local bans (by PTAC)
Regardless of weekend rules, certain sections of roads are permanently closed depending on vehicle tonnage. Click on a threshold to see the axes concerned:
More than 3.5 t ▾
N7 — between Vienne and the Roussillon toll, in the North → South direction.
N59 — between Lunéville and Sélestat.
N66 — between Remiremont and Cernay.
N580 — in Avignon (Kingdom and Daladier bridges).
A22 (12 km), N356 (5 km) and N227 (3-4 km) — for HGVs heading towards the A1 exit, direction South → North.
A55 (4 km) — in Marseille, between the Old Port interchange and Cap Pinède.
A557 — from the Arenc and Les Ports exit towards the A7 towards the A55.
Fréjus Tunnel — Euro 0/I/II vehicles (as well as those over 4.3 m high).
Mont Blanc Tunnel — Euro 0/1/2 vehicles (as well as those over 4.7 m high).
More than 6 t ▾
N7 — in the Orange metropolitan area, between the RD976 junction and the RD950.
N7 — in Tain-l'Hermitage, every day from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
More than 7.5 t ▾
A7 and A6 (25 km) — between Ternay and Limonest Dardilly.
A47 — from its connection with the A7 towards the center of Lyon to the Ternay interchange.
N85 — at the Laffrey exit (public transport also concerned).
Fourvière Tunnel — as well as vehicles over 4.3 m high.
More than 16 t ▾
N7 — in the urban area of Mondragon.
More than 19 t ▾
N66 — every day from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., between the Séchenat viaduct and the western roundabout of Saint-Amarin, for heavy goods vehicles loaded or unloaded in Alsace or Lorraine.
Toulon Tunnel — connection between the A50 (Toulon East) and the A57 (Toulon West) towards Marseille.
Lyon ring road — Northern part (as well as vehicles over 4.5 m high).
RD59 — between PR 28+622 and 24+273, direction Quiévrechain → Rombies-et-Marchipont.
More than 26 t ▾
Not equipped with cruise control:
N85 — between Gap and the Isère / Hautes-Alpes limits.
N94 — from the South Embrun roundabout to the Italian border.
Equipped with cruise control:
N94 — at the Col de Montgenèvre (9 km).
7. Hazardous materials & logs
Transport of dangerous materials prohibited on:
- A7 — direction Septèmes-les-Vallons towards Marseille.
- A8 — between the Antibes toll and the Italian border (ethylene oxide only, except force majeure).
- A50 — direction La Penne-sur-Huveaune towards Marseille.
- Mont-Blanc, Fourvière and Fréjus tunnels — class 1 and others depending on the packaging.
- N7 — crossing the Roussillon toll.
- Lyon ring road — Northern part.
Transport of logs:
Limited to 57 t (6 axles) or 48 t (5 axles), with a certificate of absence of reasonable economic alternative, on the roads designated by prefectural decree.
Banned on the entire network Saturday or day before public holiday 12 p.m. to Monday or day after public holiday 6 a.m. (the prefect can lift the ban if absolutely necessary).
Prohibited on motorways for vehicles that cannot reach 50 km/h, as well as in the event of snow, frost or reduced visibility.
Special transport (oversize or overweight):
Subject to authorization, individual or local, issued by the competent prefecture (prefecture of entry for international journeys). Once authorized, these convoys cannot circulate:
- on motorways, unless waived by the prefect;
- throughout the network from Saturday or the day before a public holiday 12 p.m. to Monday or the day after a public holiday 6 a.m., unless waived by the prefect;
- in the event of snow, frost or reduced visibility.
Public transport for children:
Prohibited during the sensitive summer period: Saturday 1er August 2026 from midnight to midnight the next day (except travel within the same department or between neighboring departments).
Heavy goods vehicles over 40 t:
The 44t are only admitted on national territory. Since the 1er October 2025, this traffic is reserved for heavy goods vehicles complying with the standard Euro 6.
8. Exemptions & derogations
General exemptions ▾
The transportation oflive animals.
The transportation of perishable goods or agricultural products, when this load represents at least half of the vehicle (in weight, surface area or volume). After the first delivery point, these conditions no longer apply if subsequent deliveries take place in the same or neighboring regions.
The facilities for an event held the same day or the next day.
The fireworks used the same day or the next day.
The mixture of liquefied hydrocarbon gases NOS (UN 1965) or the petroleum products (UN 1202, 1203, 1223) intended for sports competitions the same day or the day before.
The newspapers and magazines.
The office or factory moves within an urban area.
The itinerant sales vehicles (region of origin or neighboring regions).
The air freight.
The hospital waste, linen from healthcare establishments, medical or health protection goods.
The medical gases.
The industrial gamma radiography devices.
In Moselle, vehicles joining the Bettembourg rail-road terminal (under conditions).
The return to empty remains possible in the region of the last delivery point or neighboring regions.
Short-term exemptions (prefecture) ▾
Issued by the prefecture of the department of departure (or arrival for international travel):
Essential and urgent transport linked to droughts, floods or natural disasters.
Waste destined for a landfill or from a slaughterhouse.
Linen for hotel complexes with at least 1,000 rooms.
Tanker trucks supplying highway and airport service stations.
Hazardous materials requiring urgent loading or unloading at seaports.
Long-term exemptions (1 year max, prefecture) ▾
Vehicles essential for continuous operations of production or industrial units (approval of the prefect of the department of arrival; for dangerous materials, opinion of the interministerial committee for the transport of dangerous materials).
Vehicles contributing to the supply of public services or emergencies with immediate needs.
9. Deliveries & loadings in Paris
🕙Vehicles of less than 29 m² surface: authorized only from 10 p.m. to 5 p.m..
🌃Vehicles up to 43 m² surface: authorized only from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m..
⏱️Parking in the delivery zone is limited to 30 minutes.
Permanent exemptions: security vans, market supply, flower deliveries, tankers, coach transporters, materials to or from a construction site, road maintenance, garbage collection and removals.
10. Good to know
🚧Exceeding: on a road with at least 3 lanes in one direction, vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of more than 3.5 t or more than 7 m in length are prohibited from using the 3e lane, except to prepare for a change of direction.
📏Safety distances: 28 m at 50 km/h, 50 m at 90/80 km/h, 62 m at 110 km/h and 73 m at 130 km/h.
🍺Blood alcohol concentration: maximum 0.5 g/L of blood (0.2 g/L for public transport).
❄️Tires: snow chains mandatory in winter in marked areas; studded tires authorized from November to March, with the corresponding sticker.
💡Lights: low beam recommended during the day.
📞Useful numbers: 17 (police), 18 (fire brigade), 15 (medical emergencies), 112 (European emergency number).
🛠 Ride with peace of mind, wherever you are in Europe
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