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A new concrete driveway in Winston-Salem, NC can take foot traffic after 24 to 48 hours, passenger cars after about 7 days, and heavy vehicles like moving trucks or RVs after 28 days. The reason for the gap: concrete reaches roughly 70 percent of its design strength at 7 days and its full design strength at 28. Driving on it early, especially near an unsupported edge, is one of the most common causes of cracks that were never the contractor's fault.
Updated Aug 17, 2026 · Winston-Salem Concrete Co, Winston-Salem, NC
Concrete does not dry, it cures: a chemical reaction between cement and water that continues for weeks. These are the standard milestones for a residential slab poured in normal Piedmont weather.
| Time after the pour | What the slab can take |
|---|---|
| 24 to 48 hours | Foot traffic. Keep pets off before this, paw prints are permanent. |
| 3 to 5 days | Patio furniture, bicycles, lawn equipment rolled across. |
| About 7 days | Passenger cars and light trucks. The slab is near 70 percent of design strength. |
| 28 days | Full design strength. Heavy vehicles, moving trucks, RVs, dumpsters. |
For the first week the outer edges of a driveway are the weakest part of the pour, because they have the least mass and no slab on one side to share the load. A car tyre placed within a foot of a fresh edge concentrates weight exactly where the concrete can least carry it.
That is why we ask you to stay centred on the slab for the first couple of weeks and keep well off the edges, even after the 7 day mark.
Temperature is the main variable. Heat speeds the reaction, cold slows it, and a slab poured in a Winston-Salem winter can need meaningfully longer before it takes a car than the same slab poured in June.
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