Why summer shutdown is heightened this year.
Summer 2024 is the absolute pinnacle of a summer of music and sports. From the Euros, to the Olympics, Glastonbury to Wimbledon – each of these events cause a huge rise in the footfall of visitors all across mainland Europe.
But how do these events impact logistics?
Consumer demands for goods like food, beverages, and shelter during sporting and music events this summer increase hugely, meaning that the amount of transport available is largely reduced.
Summer shutdown is a phrase known by many when planning movements across Europe across summer months. From limited contact with hauliers to driving bans, routes have to be planned in advance to ensure deliveries are made on time.
To ensure you beat the delays summer shutdown brings – the time to act is now! Planning ahead of time will be your key to success in avoiding any hold-ups to your goods.
The history of summer shutdown
The term ‘summer shutdown’ stems back to the Italian festival Ferragosto.
If you visit Italy around the 15th August, you may notice most the shops will be closed – Ferragosto can be thanked for this.
Cities across the country will shut down, with public transport, shops and restaurants closing; Italians typically use the festival as a reason to leave the inner cities and go on holiday.
Summer shutdown also brings about European driving restrictions which means road freight will be impacted.
From early July to mid-August, most HGV’s (above 7.5 tonnes) in most parts of Europe are banned from driving on certain roads and motorway networks on weekends.
Summer driving restrictions:
- France: Saturdays 7am-7pm (July and August)
- Germany: Saturdays 7am-8pm (selected routes during July and August)
- Italy: Saturdays 8am-4pm (July) 8am-10pm (August). Saturdays have bans at different times for each regions, these are published yearly by the Italian Ministry of Transport. Sundays and public holidays 9am -10pm (June to September).
- Poland: Fridays and Saturdays 6pm-10pm, Sundays 8am-10pm (June 28 to August 25)
- Croatia: Saturdays 4am-2pm, Sundays and public holidays 12pm-11pm on selected main routes (June 15 to September 15)
- Slovakia: Saturdays 7am-7pm (July and August)
- Slovenia: Saturdays 8am-1pm (last weekend in June to first weekend in September)
- Czechia: Fridays 7am-9pm, Saturdays 7am-1pm (July and August)
- Hungary: Saturdays 3pm-12am (July and August)
There are some exceptions to the driving restrictions to be mindful of when moving goods:
- vehicles carrying perishable goods or refrigerated products
- vehicles servicing sporting events, trade shows or exhibitions
- other movements that meet a time critical demand
To find out more countries which are affected from driving bans, click here.
Keeping up to date
Due to the driving restrictions, goods can become more difficult to plan to achieve delivery deadlines. Availability may be reduced from the increase in demand of goods and driver shortages.
We pride ourselves on our ability to adapt quickly and provide innovative solutions. Our wide network of trusted suppliers ensure your goods can arrive on time, securely.
Constant communication from your dedicated Account Manager means you’ll always be updated at every step of the journey of the movement of your goods.
Our team of specialists working in Consolidate and Accelerate, our road freight services, are experts in problem-solving and tailoring the right solutions to your needs. From vans to full loads, our express services move your goods across borders without delay.
Do you need to move goods ahead of summer shutdown? Get in touch today with our team of experts to speed up your supply chain!
