Weight limitPoland

An introduction to the traffic rules and road signs of Poland. Learn about driving, road safety and much more in our illustrated book, with answers to frequently asked questions.

For informational purposes only. Always follow official regulations. Some content and images were created with AI assistance.


42. Weight limit

A weight limit prohibits vehicles or vehicle combinations whose mass exceeds the value shown from entering or passing a road section, bridge, tunnel or other structure. Depending on local law, the restriction may concern the vehicle’s actual loaded mass, maximum authorised mass or load on an individual axle.

Drivers must know which type of mass the sign refers to and must include the vehicle, passengers, cargo and any trailer where required. A vehicle that exceeds the limit must use another suitable route.

Weight limit
Weight restriction near the Warta ferry at Zatom Nowy. (Greater Poland, Poland)
Wikimedia.org • MOs810 • CC BY-SA
Does every weight-limit sign measure the same kind of vehicle weight in Poland?

No. Check whether the particular sign concerns actual loaded mass, authorised maximum mass, axle load or another specified vehicle class. These are different measurements; do not interpret every weight-restriction sign as the same type of limit.

🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, Road Traffic Law — articles 5, 19; Signs 18, 20; 2021/433 axle-load amendment

🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, traffic signs and signals — 2019/2310 consolidation, read with subsequent amendments

🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, 2021/433 — operative sign amendments

🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, 2021/2065 — operative sign amendments

🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, 2022/2372 — operative sign amendments

Vehicles heavier than indicated prohibited. Vehicles heavier than indicated prohibited.

English • Traffic sign B-18 • Maximum actual total mass in tonnes. Sign B-18 prohibits vehicles whose actual total mass exceeds the value shown. For vehicle combinations, the prohibition applies to their combined mass.

Polski • B-18 • zakaz wjazdu pojazdów o rzeczywistej masie całkowitej ponad ... t. Znak B-18 „zakaz wjazdu pojazdów o rzeczywistej masie całkowitej ponad.....t” oznacza zakaz ruchu pojazdów, których rzeczywista masa całkowita jest większa od wartości podanej na znaku; w przypadku zespołu pojazdów zakaz dotyczy ich łącznej masy.

Sources

🔗 Commons.wikimedia.org
🔗 Eli.gov.pl • § 20 ust. 4

SVG source: Commons.wikimedia.org • Original SVG
Szczepan dyskusja Mail 18:29, 31 December 2006 (UTC) • Public domain • Original revision 2025-10-01. Wikimedia original unmodified.

Artwork reviewed against the Polish official sign catalogue, Dz.U. 2019 poz. 2310: Eli.gov.pl • B-18, PDF page 42, with amendments 2021/433, 2021/2065, 2022/2372 and 2026/133 checked. Catalogue-equivalent illustration; intentional update from the previous PNG. This is an educational illustration, not a manufacturing specification.

Do cargo and trailers matter for a posted weight restriction in Poland?

Yes, whenever the rule is based on actual loaded mass or the total mass of a combination. Cargo, passengers and the trailer affect that figure; weight on individual axles may be limited separately. If the sign instead uses authorised maximum mass, an empty vehicle may still be prohibited.

🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, Road Traffic Law — articles 5, 19; Signs 18, 20; 2021/433 axle-load amendment

🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, traffic signs and signals — 2019/2310 consolidation, read with subsequent amendments

🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, 2021/433 — operative sign amendments

🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, 2021/2065 — operative sign amendments

🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, 2022/2372 — operative sign amendments

What should you do if your vehicle exceeds a bridge weight limit in Poland?

Do not drive onto the bridge. Follow the signed alternative route and check the vehicle’s gross and axle loads as applicable. A general heavy-vehicle permit does not automatically authorise crossing every restricted bridge.

🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, Road Traffic Law — articles 5, 19; Signs 18, 20; 2021/433 axle-load amendment

🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, traffic signs and signals — 2019/2310 consolidation, read with subsequent amendments

🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, 2021/433 — operative sign amendments

🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, 2021/2065 — operative sign amendments

🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, 2022/2372 — operative sign amendments

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