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Although Christmas is a family celebration for most of us, more than 150 truck drivers spend their holidays at the motorway gas station in Walserberg due to the ban on truck driving. They will have to wait until Wednesday to be able to continue their trip.
12/26/2023 July 17
Online since today, 5:07 pm
Celebrate Christmas among trucks. Hundreds of drivers here will have to wait at the Walserberg border crossing until Wednesday – then the holiday driving ban will end.
ORF The parking lot in Walserberg resembles a set of rolling hotels at Christmas
“It's okay to stay here in Walserberg. We all get along well. We celebrate together, we also cook together. But then I go home. First I have to unload in Italy, but then I'll go home. And only then do we celebrate with the family. And that. “I would like to be at home today, but it’s simply not possible,” says truck driver Aleksander Markovic from Serbia.
Confusion of languages on the Walserberg
There is almost a Babylonian confusion of languages in the Walserberg – what helps are the translation programs on your cell phone, because many drivers don't speak German or English. Professional driver Yasar Aba from Turkey complains that there are few opportunities to wash properly in the Walserberg. Also, the bathrooms are not designed for so many drivers and you have to pay for drinking water.
ORF You warm up with tea
We sleep in the cab of the truck throughout the long weekend and to keep us warm there is homemade coffee or tea. This is how you can create a Christmas atmosphere even without a Christmas tree. “I don't have a Christmas tree, but at least I have a green tree. We have to wait here two more days. We have a customer in Salzburg. So, before that, we are here cooking steaks,” says truck driver Yurii Kovalskyi, from Ukraine.
ORF We slept in the driver's cabin throughout the long weekend
“The child cries at home, but that’s my job”
These days are not easy for the young father. “The child is crying at home, but that's my job. I have to stay here and do my work and then I’ll go home and spend some Christmas,” adds Yurii. On Wednesday, trucks can move forward until the new year arrives again – three-day driving ban and waiting in the truck cab.
Long distance driver: Christmas in Walserberg
Although Christmas is a family celebration for most of us, more than 150 truck drivers spend their holidays at the motorway gas station in Walserberg due to the ban on truck driving.