How has IRU changed over the past 30 years? This was the question we put to IRU Secretary General Umberto de Pretto as he prepares to hand over to his successor.

Road transport is highly fragmented with large numbers of small and medium-sized (SME) operators. How can the sector help SMEs transition to carbon neutrality without putting their businesses at risk? This question was at the centre of the latest IRU Green Compact Roundtable, hosted by IRU member DP World in Paris, France.

IRU underscored the need for clearer and more practical labour mobility pathways for professional drivers between North Africa and the EU at a recent labour mobility workshop with the private sector, policymakers and labour mobility experts in Turin, Italy.

Bus rapid transit (BRT) systems are one of the most practical ways for cities to improve mobility without building a full rail system. They use buses but come with advantages often associated with rail.

IRU welcomes the launch of the European Commission’s final Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Transport call under the current 2021–2027 EU budget, which provides dedicated funding for three long-standing priorities of the commercial road transport sector: alternative fuels infrastructure, external border efficiency and digital innovation. The package includes EUR 130 million for alternative fuels infrastructure, EUR 20 million for external border-crossing improvements, and EUR 20 million for digi

IRU welcomes the progress made by the Council and the European Parliament on new EU rules to facilitate military mobility, while calling for stronger safeguards to ensure civilian road transport operators can effectively support defence logistics and mobility in times of crisis.

Rising freight demand, an ageing workforce, limited training pathways, and poor facilities are creating a growing challenge for Australia’s trucking sector. We spoke with Sarah Dunning, Strategic Adviser for IRU member NatRoad, to better understand the situation in Australia, where the driver shortage rate hit 12% in 2025, up from 10% in 2024.