The EU ban on drivers taking their regular weekly rest in the truck cab is opposed by Wirtschaftskammer Österreich (Austrian Economic Chamber), or WKO, which set out its position in September 2026 through its Sparte Transport und Verkehr (Transport and Traffic Division), calling for the ban to be abolished. The proposal appears in the section on driving and rest times in its Position- und Strategiepapier 2026-2029 (Position and Strategy Paper 2026-2029), published on 18 September, and concerns Article 8 of Regulation 561/2006, as amended by EU Regulation 2020/1054. In return for repealing the ban, the employers' association proposes investing in the construction of a network of secure parking areas that it describes as “five-star”. The association refers to the European Commission's plan to provide secure parking areas every 150 kilometres along the core Trans-European Transport Network and cites the Truck Stop Hausruck, under construction on Austria's A8 motorway, as a practical example - not as evidence of an already existing network, but as a model for the type of infrastructure it would like to see.
The issue had been reopened a few months earlier by the European Commission itself. In a report submitted to the European Parliament and the Council in November 2025 on the availability of safe and secure parking areas for drivers of heavy goods vehicles, Brussels estimated a shortfall of 390,000 parking spaces across the European Union, equivalent to around 3,250 parking areas. If the current pace of investment continues, the shortage could rise to about 483,000 spaces by 2040. Italy, Germany, France, Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands are among the countries identified as having the poorest provision. In the section on possible legislative changes, the report says that a future revision of Regulation 561/2006 could consider allowing regular weekly rest in the cab when the vehicle is parked in a high-quality facility equipped with the functions needed to ensure comfort and proper rest. For gold- and platinum-level facilities, the Commission estimates an indicative cost of €15-35 per night, while also noting hauliers' limited willingness to pay high charges.
But the two proposals are different. WKO is calling for the existing ban to be removed outright, while the Commission's November report considers a conditional exemption linked to certified parking quality. The two positions converge on the lack of infrastructure as a root cause of the problem, but the Austrian proposal does not set out technical requirements, enforcement arrangements or the company's responsibilities in cases where secure parking is unavailable.
The practical impact of the ban is not uniform across EU countries. Article 19 of Regulation 561/2006 leaves Member States responsible for setting penalties, provided that they are effective, proportionate and dissuasive. Belgium, for example, imposes a €1,800 fine on the driver for taking the rest period in the cab; France provides for penalties of up to €30,000 and one year's imprisonment for a company that fails to ensure rest is taken outside the vehicle; Germany imposes fines of up to €30,000 on the company and up to €5,000 in other cases; while Greece applies penalties of only €550 to the company and €260 to the driver.
Antonio Illariuzzi
