France lifts the weekend ban for tankers supplying fuel stations until 12 October

Correction. In our article on the diesel shortage at French fuel stations of 24 September, we wrote that there was no exemption from the weekend ban for fuel tankers. The following day, the French government published one.

What the arrêté says

The arrêté of 24 September 2026, published in Journal officiel no. 224 on 25 September, suspends for these vehicles articles 1 to 3 of the arrêté of 16 April 2021: the general weekend and public holiday bans, the summer Saturday bans and the Île-de-France restrictions that apply to goods vehicles over 7.5 t.

• Who may run: only vehicles carrying petroleum products to supply service stations. The empty return trip is also allowed throughout France.
• Until when: from 26 September until Monday 12 October at 10:00.
• Condition: the driver must carry a document proving that the trip falls within the exemption — for example the delivery note for the station — and show it at a roadside check.

The government justifies the measure by the need to prevent shortages in the context of the conflict in the Middle East, according to Franceinfo.

What does not change

For all other HGVs over 7.5 t, the ban from Saturday 22:00 to Sunday 22:00 remains in force, as set out on our France driving bans page. A general-cargo truck coming from the Iberian Peninsula cannot rely on this exemption.

For fuel distributors in France, the weekends of 3-4 and 10-11 October are free. For everyone else, the measure should help restore supply at stations in the south-west sooner — but it is still worth refuelling in Spain before crossing the border.