Hessen has expanded its suspension of the Sunday driving ban to include oversized and heavy transports up to 44 tonnes, extending a measure first introduced on 11 August for standard trucks over 7.5 tonnes. Transport Minister Kaweh Mansoori said pragmatic action was needed to stabilise supply chains, with the suspension running through 31 August.
The Rhine remains at historically low levels, with the gauge at Kaub on the Middle Rhine sitting at just 14 centimetres. The German Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration expects Kaub to rise to a maximum of 41 centimetres by Friday, while vessels can currently carry only about 20 percent of their usual cargo. Joachim Holstein, inland shipping coordinator at Duisburg Port, said large ships can reach Duisburg but cannot proceed toward Cologne, Mannheim or Basel.
The Deutsche Bundesbank expects economic output to grow only marginally in the third quarter of 2026, after GDP expanded 0.4 percent in Q1 and 0.2 percent in Q2. The Federal Statistical Office of Germany will release updated spring economic data on 25 August.