Weight restrictions to be introduced at 60 locations.
New legislative amendments will enter into force on 1 January 2026, the Ministry of Construction and Transport announced.
The aim is to divert freight traffic from lower-fee primary roads and toll-free secondary roads onto the four-lane expressway network—and to keep it there.
The package has three components
1. Nationwide weight-restriction programme – 60 new locations.
Weight-restriction signs are expected to be installed on all affected road sections by the end of December 2025. As the programme progresses, the Ministry will continuously assess further requests submitted by municipalities and residents, with the implementation of new requests expected to be completed by March 2026. This means truck drivers should not be surprised if new weight-restriction signs appear as early as December, with additional ones being added until March.
2. Increased road tolls for heavy-duty vehicles on primary roads.
Tolls will rise on expressways (categories J2–J5, M2–M3). On primary roads, toll levels for heavy-duty vehicle categories (J2–J5) will be adjusted to approach those of the expressway network.
3. A unified and more deterrent penalty system.
Fines related to road traffic violations will increase. In the distance-based toll system, administrative fines for unauthorized road use during the 0–120 minute period will rise by 30%. Violations of “Restricted Traffic Zone,” “Weight Limit,” or “No Entry for Trucks” signs will incur a fine of 100,000 forints, up from the previous 47,000.
The reasons
According to the Ministry’s statement, by the end of September this year, 126 road accidents involving heavy-duty vehicles occurred in Hungary, 15 of which were fatal. A significant share of these serious, sometimes deadly accidents took place in residential areas and were caused by trucks. In several cases, heavy vehicles ran over pedestrians or collided with buildings.
The current government decision was preceded by a nationwide traffic study, which specifically examined situations where trucks choose lower-toll primary roads or toll-free secondary roads instead of expressways. The analysis found that—beyond the desire to avoid possible congestion—the primary reason trucks leave the expressway network is the lower toll burden.
Experts estimate that the toll increase may result in a 5–15% shift in traffic from the primary road network to the expressway network. The shift will be more significant in areas where weight restrictions are also introduced.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
