Freight from Austria to the Czech Republic
From Austria to the Czech Republic we carry steel products, machinery, sawn timber, paper, drinks and food. Vienna is about 330 km from Prague, so a full truckload arrives the same or the next day. We plan collection around Austria’s night and weekend lorry restrictions; the calculator gives an indicative price and we email a firm quote.
Austria’s industrial cities, from the Danube to the Alps
Austrian industry is concentrated in a few cities on the Danube and in the Alpine valleys. The collection point also settles the border crossing: a lorry leaving Vienna takes a different road into the Czech Republic from one starting in Linz or Salzburg.
| City | Industry | What we typically carry from there |
|---|---|---|
| Vienna | food, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, distribution centres | drinks and food, medicines, retail stock |
| Linz | steel, chemicals, engineering | sheet and coil, chemical and plastic products, machinery |
| Graz | vehicle manufacturing and suppliers, paper and pulp | car parts and modules, paper reels |
| Steyr | engine building, engineering | engines, bearings, parts for commercial vehicles |
| Salzburg | wood processing, building materials, sporting goods | sawn timber, wood-based panels, building materials, skis |
| Villach | microelectronics, Carinthian timber industry | electronic components, sawn timber |
Loading sawn timber, panels and paper
Wood is one of Austria’s signature exports. Bundles of sawn timber and large-format panels are loaded from the side by forklift, so the best choice is a curtainsider with a sliding roof. Bundles need to sit on bearers so that straps can be passed underneath, and the weight has to be spread along the deck so no axle is overloaded. Paper reels travel upright on anti-slip mats; otherwise they shift under braking. If the timber or boards are for a joinery or furniture workshop, our furniture transport page has more useful tips.
Nights and weekends: rules that shift your collection time
Austria restricts lorry traffic more tightly than most of its neighbours. These are the rules that matter when planning an import:
- Night restriction 22:00–05:00 – HGVs over 7.5 t may only drive at night as a certified low-noise vehicle displaying an “L” plate, and at reduced speed. Some sections in Tyrol have stricter rules.
- Weekend ban – from 15:00 on Saturday to 22:00 on Sunday, and on public holidays from midnight to 22:00, for HGVs over 7.5 t and lorries with trailers.
- Summer Saturdays – in the peak holiday season further Saturday bans apply on certain motorways and roads, mainly towards Hungary and in Tyrol.
- Austrian public holidays – on dates such as 8 December or 15 August lorries stand still in Austria even though it is a normal working day in the Czech Republic.
In practice, a load collected on Saturday afternoon will often not arrive until Monday. Fresh food is exempt from the weekend ban, but the consignment documents must show it.
Via Mikulov or via Dolní Dvořiště?
| Collection area | Border crossing | Onward to Prague |
|---|---|---|
| Vienna, Lower Austria, Styria | Drasenhofen – Mikulov | via Brno on the D1 |
| Linz, Wels, Salzburg | Wullowitz – Dolní Dvořiště | via České Budějovice and Tábor (D3) |
| Tyrol, Vorarlberg | through Germany | Waidhaus/Rozvadov and the D5 |
GO-Maut: who pays?
On Austrian motorways and expressways, vehicles over 3.5 t pay a distance-based toll through the GO-Box on-board unit. The haulier pays it and it is built into our price. You do not need a vignette or any registration.
Smaller consignments from Vienna and Linz
For 1–6 pallets we offer groupage – slower than a dedicated truck but cheaper. For 7–18 pallets we arrange a part load or a smaller vehicle, and from about 18 pallets a full 13.6 m trailer. An invoice and a CMR note are enough, as there is no customs duty between Austria and the Czech Republic.
Work out a price in the freight calculator. For neighbouring routes see freight from Germany and freight from Hungary; all countries are on the EU countries overview.