New EU emission rules for trucks: when will brake dust limits hit your fleet?

What the truck makers are asking for

The letter, dated 20 October 2026, is signed by Karin Rådström, Chair of ACEA’s Commercial Vehicle Board and Chairwoman of the Board of Management of Daimler Truck, and by ACEA Director General Sigrid de Vries. It refers to the EU’s “automotive omnibus”, the package of changes to vehicle rules that the European Commission proposed in December 2025 and which is now being negotiated by the European Parliament and the Council.

ACEA asks for two things:

• a five-year postponement of the Euro 7 brake emission requirements for heavy-duty vehicles, which it calls an “essential minimum safeguard”,
• a two-year postponement of the current Euro 7 application dates for heavy-duty vehicles.

If both requests were accepted, Euro 7 would apply to new truck types from 2030 and to all new trucks from 2031, instead of 2028 and 2029.

Why brakes are the sticking point

Euro 7 is the first EU emission standard to regulate not only exhaust gases, but also particles from brakes and tyres. Because these non-exhaust emissions also come from electric vehicles, Euro 7 covers them regardless of the powertrain.

For cars and vans, brake emission limits and test conditions have already been set. For trucks and buses, the work is far behind. According to ACEA, the test procedures, and the method for converting measurements made on a single brake component into a requirement for the whole vehicle, are not yet finalised or validated.

The development of a dedicated heavy-duty brake test cycle under the UNECE’s Particle Measurement Programme has been delayed. As a result, manufacturers say there is not enough time to check whether the method works across the huge variety of trucks, buses, configurations, operating conditions and braking systems on the market.

ACEA lists four steps that must happen first:

• finalising the component test under the UNECE mandate,
• setting the vehicle-level requirements,
• validating them across vehicle categories and assessing the environmental impact,
• agreeing on proportionate limits and implementation rules.

Safety, costs and production risks

The manufacturers stress that brakes are safety-critical, and that rushing the validation would clash with the high safety standards expected of European trucks. They also warn that requirements introduced too early could cause avoidable development costs, disrupt production cycles and put pressure on suppliers of all sizes.

In its statement, ACEA argues that a realistic timeline would give the industry regulatory certainty, while still preserving the environmental objectives of Euro 7 and the competitiveness of Europe’s commercial vehicle sector.

What Euro 7 already means for trucks

Even without the brake rules, Euro 7 will tighten exhaust limits for heavy vehicles. In standard engine tests, the NOx limit falls to 200 mg/kWh, less than half the 460 mg/kWh allowed under Euro VI. The rules also cover pollutants that were not regulated before, such as nitrous oxide (N₂O), and require emissions to stay within limits for longer over the vehicle’s life.

Under the current timeline:

• 29 May 2028 – Euro 7 applies to new truck and bus types,
• 29 May 2029 – all newly registered trucks and buses must meet Euro 7,
• 1 July 2031 – deadline for small-volume manufacturers.

What it means for hauliers

For transport companies, the debate matters mainly for fleet planning. Trucks bought in 2028 and 2029 could be among the first Euro 7 vehicles, and the industry has long warned that the standard will push up truck prices. When the European Parliament voted on Euro 7 in 2023, manufacturers called for “realism”, and the final rules for trucks were softened compared with the original proposal.

A delay would give hauliers more time to buy Euro VI trucks and could keep prices more stable in the short term. On the other hand, it would extend uncertainty about which rules new trucks will have to meet, at a time when many operators are already weighing up diesel against electric. As trans.info has reported, UK hauliers have recently started buying trucks again.

Health groups: no delay

Not everyone agrees with the manufacturers. In early October, a coalition of organisations including T&E, POLIS, Clean Cities, the European Respiratory Society and Lungs Europe urged the European Parliament and the Council not to postpone or weaken Euro 7 for heavy vehicles.

The coalition points out that, as of 2015, heavy-duty vehicles were responsible for more than 40% of on-road NOx emissions and 63% of on-road PM2.5 emissions. It warns that a delay would prolong exposure to harmful pollution and create uncertainty for companies that have already invested in cleaner technology.

The final decision now lies with MEPs and EU member states, as they negotiate the automotive omnibus.