The European Commission has proposed measures to make freight transport more efficient and sustainable through better management of rail infrastructure, stronger incentives for low-emission lorries and better information on greenhouse gas emissions from freight transport. The aim is to increase the efficiency of the sector and help it contribute to the European Green Deal’s target of reducing transport emissions by 90% by 2050.
The revision addresses three key issues: the environmental performance of road freight transport, international transport in the internal market and enforcement.
1. Increasing weight limits and regulating gigaliners
Weight limits for zero-emission trucks will be increased under a new EU proposal to speed up the introduction of electric and hydrogen-powered trucks. The new limits shall ensure that trucks on long-haul routes do not have to sacrifice cargo weight, which requires larger batteries.
Once the law comes into force, electric or hydrogen trucks could weigh up to 2 tonnes more, regardless of the weight of the actual zero-emission technology.
All these measures are expected to reduce energy consumption by 12 million tonnes of oil equivalent between 2025 and 2050.
To encourage intermodal transport, lorries, trailers and semi-trailers will be allowed to carry extra weight, and extra height will make it easier for standard vehicles to carry high-cube containers.
The draft legislation also proposes new rules for so-called mega trucks or gigaliners – truck and trailer combinations that are 25.25 metres long, almost 9 metres longer than typical trucks on Europe’s highways.
However, not just length, but extra height will also be allowed for vehicles carrying high-cube containers and extra weight for lorries, trailers and semi-trailers used in non-containerised intermodal operations.
2. Cross-border transport in the internal market
The proposal will also provide clarity on the use of heavier and longer vehicles in international transport, under certain conditions, as allowed today in some Member States.
This includes clarifying that Member States that allow European Modular Systems (EMS) on their territory will also be able to use them in international operations between these neighbouring Member States, without the need for a bilateral agreement and without the restriction of crossing only one border.
This will mean that the same amount of freight can be transported in fewer journeys.
3. Stronger enforcement across the EU
To strengthen enforcement, the proposal will set a common minimum level of checks on compliance with weight limits and the mandatory installation of weighing devices in road infrastructure to help detect overloaded vehicles in motion.
Beyond these afore-mentioed key elements, the proposal is also expected to significantly reduce administrative burdens for road transport operators – by an estimated €4.4 billion.
These savings are linked to two key harmonisation measures: one streamlining the application procedures for abnormal transport authorisations and the other removing the need for authorisations for the use of higher lorries to carry high-cube containers in intermodal transport.
Danish hauliers call for more ambitious weight limit changes
Green group Transport & Environment (T&E) welcomed the decision to support greener trucking by increasing weight limits under the EU’s Weights and Dimensions Directive.
Bernardo Galantini, freight policy officer at T&E, said:
“Electric trucks with ranges of around 500km will be launched in the next two years. The extra weight allowance will accelerate their introduction by ensuring that no payload is lost to accommodate the batteries. This will make long-haul electric trucks more attractive to hauliers and shippers.”
However, T&E said safeguards are needed if the Commission is asked to approve such bilateral agreements.
First, to ensure real climate emission reductions, the agreements must require all cross-border gigaliners to be zero emission by 2035 and half of large fleets to be zero emission by 2030.
Second, gigaliners must not be allowed to operate on roads where they endanger cyclists and pedestrians. There may be relatively few safety issues on motorways, but the same cannot be said where gigaliners leave the motorway to access logistics centres. Thirdly, Gigaliners must not take freight away from rail or waterways.
Belgian road hauliers’ organisation Febetra also welcomed the new draft, saying it was “pleased that a series of absurd rules will finally be put to an end”.
“Today, trucks in Belgium are allowed to weigh a maximum of 44 tonnes. This is also the case in France. However, when crossing the border between Belgium and France, the weight is limited to 40 tonnes, according to European regulations. As a result, more trucks are needed to transport the same amount of freight. In the future, the European Commission will also allow 44 tonnes in cross-border traffic between two Member States that allow 44 tonnes on their national territory. This measure not only increases the efficiency of transport, but also has a positive impact on the environment. From 2035, only zero-emission lorries and lorries for combined transport will be allowed to cross the border with 44 tonnes,” explains Febetra’s press release.
Danish hauliers, however, believe that the draft is “unambitious” and that hauliers “need higher weight limits throughout the EU”.
“Unfortunately, the revision of the Weights and Dimensions Directive does not offer the solutions that the industry has been asking for for a long time,” commented ITD.
“In the draft, the European Commission itself concludes that there are only good experiences with modular truck trains. It is therefore really disappointing that it is really just the status quo in relation to how we have been driving in Denmark for a number of years because we have a bilateral agreement with Sweden,” says Stefan K. Schou, who is upset that the only increase in weight proposed in the proposal is that electric trucks must be 4 tonnes heavier because of the battery.
ITD is calling on the Danish transport minister to push for more ambitious rules than those proposed by the European Commission.