On December 4, 2023, a significant bilateral accord was signed between Germany and Denmark, allowing the utilization of long trucks in cross-border traffic.
The Federal Minister for Digital and Transport, Volker Wissing, and Danish Transport Minister Thomas Danielsen formalized this agreement, marking Denmark as the second neighboring country, after the Netherlands, to establish such a pact.
The bilateral agreement empowers forwarding companies to deploy overlong trucks of types 2 to 5 for transportation between Germany and Denmark.
Haulage companies can now efficiently operate their long trucks in Denmark, contributing to the growing popularity of these vehicles across Europe.
Long trucks facilitate the transport of more goods in fewer journeys, leading to substantial environmental benefits by reducing CO2 emissions and alleviating strain on road infrastructure. Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing noted that, on average, two trips with long trucks can replace three trips with conventional trucks, resulting in efficiency gains and fuel savings ranging from 15 to 25 percent.
While Germany maintains its existing regulations and traffic safety requirements, allowing long trucks of up to 25.25 meters in length, weight restrictions remain consistent with those for conventional trucks. The revision of Directive 96/53/EC is underway, paving the way for the future Europe-wide use of long trucks, as stated by the Federal Ministry of Transport (BMDV