Status: 03/25/2023 12:15 p.m
Actually, trucks are not allowed to drive on Sundays, but because of the upcoming major strike at the beginning of the week there should be exceptions. Several federal states followed the request of Transport Minister Wissing and announced that they would not check trucks.
In several federal states, trucks will also be on the highways on Sunday. Because of the warning strike announced by the railway and transport union (EVG) and the trade union ver.di, Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing spoke out in favor of relaxing the Sunday driving ban. According to his ministry, he appealed to all those involved to be aware of their responsibility and to keep the effects of the strike as low as possible.
In order to keep the supply chains as stable as possible and not to endanger the supply, he asked the federal states to refrain from checking the Sunday driving ban for trucks. In fact, he spoke out in favor of a one-time lifting of the Sunday driving ban for trucks by the federal states. “We support that,” said the FDP politician in Mainz. In addition, state aviation authorities and airports are required to allow delayed landings and departures so that stranded passengers can reach their destination, the minister told the “Bild” newspaper.
The Federal Association of Freight Transport and Logistics (BGL) had previously warned that there could otherwise be supply bottlenecks.
Five federal states have so far suspended the ban
Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate announced that they would not be checking the truck driving ban. In Rhineland-Palatinate, Transport Minister Daniela Schmitt issued an exception. “Our companies have been facing enormous challenges for almost three years,” says Schmitt. The victims of the strike are the companies and employees whose work cannot be done from the home office. “That’s why we want to prevent logistical problems from putting further pressure on the processes in the companies,” emphasized the minister.
In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg, the police make use of the so-called opportunity principle. According to this, civil servants can decide for themselves up to a certain threshold whether to impose a penalty or not.
The Schleswig-Holstein Ministry of Transport also announced that it had agreed to Federal Minister of Transport Wissing’s request. He had asked the responsible federal states to refrain from controls. According to the Ministry of Transport, the police and the fine offices in Schleswig-Holstein have been informed.
ADAC expects traffic chaos
The major strike hit the German transport network at the beginning of the Easter holidays in Lower Saxony and Bremen. The ADAC warns of traffic chaos. In addition, there could be tunnel closures on motorways, since employees of Autobahn GmbH are also organized in the union.
However, the Autobahn GmbH of the federal government wants to avoid tunnel closures. “In particular, the operational service on the federal trunk roads must be maintained. For this purpose, emergency service agreements are concluded, for example to avoid tunnel closures,” said a spokesman. “Both sides will do everything to ensure the safety of road users.”