IRU’s Commission on Social Affairs has laid out its priorities for the year ahead on key social policy areas, including driver shortage, compliance and expanding workforce diversity.

While Brent is still below its spring peak, the other cost components of diesel are on the rise. National measures are still in place in most of the EU, but they are being tapered rather than deepened, with limited impact on prices at the pump. Here’s the latest overview for the road transport sector.

The shortage of drivers is a major constraint on the industry, with implications extending far beyond road transport. Local recruitment efforts must be accompanied by legal driver mobility pathways, IRU said at the Budapest Process meeting on legal pathways for migration in Islamabad, Pakistan, this week.

Road transport operators need effective access to the data generated by the vehicles they own, lease and operate. But how can this be achieved while protecting manufacturers’ intellectual property and maintaining cybersecurity and vehicle safety?

IRU has launched a new practical toolkit to help road transport companies unlock its largest untapped recruitment pool.

IRU and the European Metropolitan Transport Authorities (EMTA) are urging the Irish Presidency and Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to fix key provisions in the Industrial Accelerator Act's proposed “Buy European” rules for electric vehicles. They warn that the current approach risks forcing working electric buses off the road and penalising public transport operators and authorities that bought them in good faith.

More than 50 experts from across the road transport ecosystem came together this week for the second edition of IRU’s Innovation and Technology Event. They explored avenues to unlock eCMR uptake.