Reaktion auf Niedrigwasser: Erste Länder erlauben Lkw-Transporte an Sonn- und Feiertagen

Several German states have temporarily lifted the ban on certain lorries transporting goods on roads on Sundays and public holidays due to ongoing low water levels on waterways. The short-term exception regulation aims to streamline necessary alternative road transports and avoid differing regulations across federal states, according to officials from North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland.

Due to the persistent low water levels, many cargo ships can now only carry a fraction of their usual cargo. By lifting the lorry transport ban, more freight shipments can be shifted from waterways to roads temporarily. The prolonged low water levels caused significant restrictions to inland shipping and endangered increasing flows of goods.

At a meeting with business associations and companies, the new Federal Transport Minister Steffen Bilger (CDU) announced several emergency measures in Bonn on Thursday to maintain supply chains on key waterways such as the Rhine, Danube, and Elbe. He planned to discuss exceptions from the Sunday and public holiday lorry ban with the countries for particularly affected goods.

Several states have reportedly coordinated with others, with North Rhine-Westphalia seeking a unified solution with the federal government.