A draft French law would put part of the road-freight decarbonisation burden on big shippers and transport commissioners, not just on hauliers. Under the proposal, a rising share of the freight services they pay for would have to be carried out by zero-emission heavy trucks, starting at 0.5% in 2026 and reaching 30% by 2035.
France is preparing an unusual intervention in the road-freight market: instead of putting the pressure only on hauliers, it wants to push some of the burden up the chain to the companies that buy transport. A draft transport framework law would require certain large shippers and transport commissioners to ensure that part of the road haulage they pay for is carried out by zero-emission heavy vehicles.
The proposal was formally deposited in the Senate on 11 February 2026 and is due to be examined by the Senate committee on 8 April, with debate in public session from 14 April 2026. So this is not yet adopted law, but it is now moving into the parliamentary stage.
At the heart of the plan is Article 18. The text says the obligation would be expressed as the annual share of invoiced public road-freight services paid for by the company that are performed by zero-emission heavy vehicles. The trajectory is progressive but steep: 0.5% in 2026, 1% in 2027, 2% in 2028, 4% in 2029, 6% in 2030, 10% in 2031, 15% in 2032, 20% in 2033, 25% in 2034 and 30% in 2035.
The draft makes clear that this would not apply to every company using road transport. It would cover businesses with a stable establishment in France, or groups for their French establishments, with more than €50 million turnover or more than €43 million balance-sheet total and at least 250 employees, provided their freight spend exceeds a threshold still to be set by decree. It would also apply to transport commissioners with more than €10 million turnover, again above a freight-spend threshold to be defined later.
Not just hauliers: transport buyers would also be targeted
It is important to note: this is not a fleet-purchase mandate aimed directly at hauliers. France is trying to create a market for electric and hydrogen truck services by forcing large transport buyers to purchase at least a minimum share of them. In its impact study, the government says outright that the goal is to change contracting practices and create a “sanctuarised market” for zero-emission freight services.
The same impact study explains the logic in even plainer terms. It says the road-freight transition is stuck because transport buyers still treat price as the main criterion, while zero-emission freight carries a cost premium. The government’s answer is to oblige major order-givers to generate demand for these services, with annual reporting and publication of results intended to push the market in that direction.
French trade media picked up the idea early. France Routes reported on 14 January 2026 that the forthcoming bill would require shippers to finance electric trucks, while TRM24 reported on 20 February that French shippers supported the decarbonisation goal but had raised serious questions about feasibility, competitiveness and the technology mix.
That concern is reflected more directly in the position taken by AUTF, which represents French shippers. The organisation says it understands the overall direction of the measure, but warns that the operational design still leaves too many open questions. Among the issues it highlights are the definition of the liable “order-giver,” the treatment of shipper–forwarder relationships, and the fact that own-account transport and foreign shippers exporting into France would not be covered.
Supporters of the plan, however, argue that the initial burden would be manageable. On 18 March 2026, T&E France said the extra cost for large companies would be marginal because the obligation starts low and applies only to part of their transport spending. The group says the bill is intended to accelerate demand for zero-emission freight without materially affecting consumer prices.
