How long does road freight from Germany or Poland to Austria take?

From southern Germany, about a day; from Poland 1–2 days; from the Netherlands around two; from the UK 2–3 including the Channel; from Spain about three. Alpine sections, Brenner dosing and the driving-ban calendar can add time, so we plan around them and give a window we can hold rather than a best case.

How is the Austrian truck toll (GO-Maut) calculated?

GO-Maut is a distance-based toll for HGVs over 3.5 t via a GO-Box, differentiated by CO₂ class, EURO class and axles. It rises about 10–13% for 2026 on the CO₂ and external-cost components. Alpine routes add a separate section toll (Streckenmaut), and the A13 Brenner carries a 25% Base-Tunnel surcharge plus a night tariff. We calculate the full route cost into the A→B rate.

What is the A12 sectoral ban?

It bars certain goods deemed "rail-suitable" - waste, soil and stones, timber, motor vehicles and construction materials, from the A12 Inntal Autobahn, to cut heavy traffic in the Tyrol valley. Affected loads move by the Rolling Highway (rail) or an alternative route. We check whether your cargo falls under it before quoting the lane.

What is Brenner dosing and will it delay my load?

Blockabfertigung is Tyrol's truck-metering at Kufstein Nord that limits trucks entering from Germany to around 300 per hour on peak days - 30 such days in 2026, plus 14 extra full-ban days in tourist peaks, with tighter management around the Lueg bridge works. It can queue trucks at the border, so we schedule around the dosing calendar rather than be caught by it.

Do trucks need winter equipment in Austria?

Yes. Between 1 November and 15 April, HGVs must carry winter tyres and often snow chains, especially on Alpine routes. Our vehicles are equipped for the season, and we factor Alpine weather into the transit window during winter months.

Road Freight

Road Freight to Austria: FTL & LTL Across the Alps

Austria is where European road freight gets technical. It's the continent's busiest Alpine transit country, the Brenner and Tauern corridors funnel Germany-Italy traffic through it, and it runs the strictest set of driving restrictions in the EU: a permanent night ban, a sectoral ban on the A12, Euro-class limits and Alpine section tolls that dwarf the flat-country rate. Get the routing and timing wrong and a load sits at a dosing point on the German border. Cargo Logistic Solutions runs road freight to and through Austria on its contracted fleet, planning that around the restrictions, CMR-insured, with financial liability set in the contract and pricing on the A→B leg only.

As an EU and Schengen country, Austria needs no customs formalities for goods in free circulation, the challenge is the mountains and the rulebook, not the border. Tell us the two points and the volume, and a logistician confirms FTL or LTL, a realistic transit window and a rate the same day.

Get a quote in 15 minutes. Send loading and delivery points plus the pallet count. We reply with the format, transit and a rate.

Transit times to Austria

Indicative FTL times to the main Austrian hubs - Vienna, Linz, Graz, Salzburg, Innsbruck:

Lane	Approx. distance	Typical FTL transit
Germany (south) → Austria	300–700 km	1 day
Poland → Austria	700–1,000 km	1–2 days
Netherlands/Benelux → Austria	~1,000 km	2 days
UK → Austria	~1,300 km + Channel	2–3 days
Spain → Austria	~1,800 km	3 days

Groupage adds 2–4 days for consolidation. Alpine sections and driving bans can add time beyond the raw distance. We plan around both rather than quote an optimistic figure.

GO-Maut and the Alpine section tolls

Austria tolls all HGVs over 3.5 t through the GO-Box system, distance-based and differentiated by CO₂ emission class, EURO class, axles and route. For 2026, ASFINAG suspended the automatic inflation adjustment of the infrastructure component, but the overall HGV toll still rises roughly 10–13%, driven by the CO₂ and external-cost (noise, air) charges. The catch is the Alpine routes: tunnel and mountain sections such as the Tauern (A10), Arlberg (S16), Karawanken (A11) and Brenner (A13) carry a separate section toll (Streckenmaut) on top of the standard per-km rate. On the A13 Brenner and the A12 Unterinntal, a further 25% surcharge funds the Brenner Base Tunnel. The A13 also adds a night tariff (22:00–05:00) for vehicles with four or more axles that nearly doubles the rate. We calculate the actual route's tolls - GO-Maut plus any section charges, into the A→B price, so an Alpine crossing doesn't surprise you on the invoice.

The restrictions that decide your delivery day

Austria's rulebook is why local knowledge matters here more than on any other lane:

Night ban. A general night HGV ban (22:00–05:00) applies, tightened on the A12 Inntal corridor.
Sectoral ban (A12). Certain goods that "could go by rail" - waste, soil and stones, timber, motor vehicles and construction materials, are barred from the A12 Inntal Autobahn, pushing them to the Rolling Highway (RoLa) or alternative routing.
Weekend and holiday ban. HGVs over 7.5 t are barred Saturdays 15:00–24:00 and Sundays/holidays 00:00–22:00.
Brenner dosing (Blockabfertigung). Tyrol meters trucks entering from Germany at Kufstein Nord on peak days - 30 metering days in 2026 (down from 36), at around 300 trucks per hour, creating queues at the border. On top, 2026 adds 14 extra full-ban days for HGVs over 7.5 t during tourist peaks, and traffic management on the corridor is tighter because of structural works on the Lueg bridge.
IG-L Euro-class limits. Air-quality rules on the A12 restrict older Euro-class vehicles and impose lower speed limits.
Winter equipment. Between 1 November and 15 April, HGVs must carry winter tyres and often chains on Alpine routes.

What Austria imports and exports

Austria is a high-value industrial economy: it imports machinery, automotive components, consumer goods and raw materials, and exports machinery, steel, processed timber, automotive parts and specialty manufacturing. That shapes our typical loads, palletised industrial goods and machinery on curtainsiders, timber and steel, and temperature-controlled food into the retail chains around Vienna and the western industrial belt. The strong Germany-Austria flow makes it a natural extension of our German lane; southbound, Austria is the gateway to Italy.

FTL or LTL to Austria

	FTL, full load	LTL, groupage
Best for	~33 europallets / up to 24 t	Part-loads from 100 kg
Transit	Direct, sealed	+2–4 days via a hub
Priced by	Route / km (+ section tolls)	Loading metre, m³ or kg

Pick full truckload (FTL) for a direct sealed run, or LTL groupage to pay only for the space you use. Oversized or heavy loads through the Alps face extra permit and routing limits, see oversized transport.

What determines the price

Route and distance - Alpine crossings carry higher section tolls than flat lanes.
GO-Maut - CO₂- and EURO-class based, up 10–13% for 2026, plus Streckenmaut on Alpine sections.
FTL vs LTL, dedicated trailer vs consolidated space.
Restrictions, night, sectoral and weekend bans, and Brenner dosing, can extend transit and cost.
Vehicle, curtainsider, reefer or low-loader base rates differ.
Season, winter equipment and Alpine weather; retail and industrial peaks.

For regular Austrian lanes we set up contract lanes with a fixed rate, reserved vehicles and a dedicated manager, the reliable option given how tightly Austrian routing has to be planned.

How we plan an Austrian run

Every Austrian load is scheduled backwards from the restrictions: the ban calendar, the Brenner dosing days, the winter-equipment window and the Alpine section tolls all go into the plan before we give an ETA. Cover applies under the CMR Convention with our financial liability in the contract, plus insurance to declared value, position reporting on request, and a personal logistician on the shipment.

Request a route quote and we'll come back with pricing and the next available slot the same day.