Newsroom

Legal experts, academics and transport practitioners gathered in Bucharest to mark 70 years of the CMR Convention and discuss how it can remain fit for the digital era. IRU President Radu Dinescu placed SMEs at the centre of the digital transition, calling for simple and cost-efficient solutions.

IRU and Transport & Environment (T&E) are calling on the European Commission to establish a supportive EU framework for semi-private charging as part of the upcoming review of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR).

The China Automobile Standards Internationalization Center (CASIC) has joined IRU as its newest member, strengthening cooperation between China’s automotive industry and the global road transport community.

IRU’s two new EU position papers call for semi-public depot charging and 30-day payment terms for road transport services. They address two practical conditions operators need to invest in zero-emission vehicles and infrastructure: charging access and predictable cash flow.

The World Bank’s new report on the Middle Corridor sets out the scale of investment needed to transform the route into a true economic corridor. But its message is equally clear: infrastructure must be matched by trade facilitation, digitalisation and road transport reform.

At Connecting Europe Days 2026, IRU called for practical rules, infrastructure and investment conditions that can turn the EU’s transport ambitions into reality.

AdBlue is causing operational problems and significant costs for Finnish trucking companies during the winter. The problem is more pronounced in newer trucks.

Fuel prices are not the only thing going up. Truck tolls in Europe have risen by around 20% since 2023, directly impacting transport costs and operators' bottom lines. Toll regimes changed almost every month across the EU in 2026, and early 2027 looks to be just as busy. The trend is clear: more kilometre-based charging and CO₂ pricing.

The world road transport organisation distances itself from any claims or attempts to suggest that there is a unified position among road transport operators across the EU calling for EU-level intervention on subcontracting.

At the 39th session of the UNECE Working Party on Transport Trends and Economics, IRU highlighted how TIR trucks can turn international transport corridors from lines on a map into resilient operational trade routes.

IRU and bp have joined forces to further develop public charging infrastructure for electric trucks.

Connectivity, innovation and partnerships were on the agenda this week for IRU Secretary General Habib Turki. His series of high-level events and bilateral meetings with Chinese authorities, transport companies and IRU members has set the course for the next decade of international road transport cooperation.

Speaking at the Global Sustainable Transport Forum 2026 in Beijing, IRU outlined how buses and trucks, trade facilitation measures, and technology-neutral decarbonisation help make transport universally accessible.

At IAA TRANSPORTATION 2026 in Hannover, Germany, IRU President Radu Dinescu called for deeper cooperation between technology providers, operators and associations to ensure digitalisation delivers practical benefits for road transport.

Harmonised processes and closer public-private cooperation can unlock even more trade between China and Central and Eastern Europe, IRU said to transport leaders in Beijing today.

How can road transport operators reduce trade costs, improve efficiency and strengthen their competitiveness? Join industry leaders in Astana, Kazakhstan, on 14 October to explore practical solutions for more efficient, professional and resilient road transport.

Artificial intelligence, automation and greater connectivity can help road transport respond to major challenges. But successful deployment will depend on common standards, trusted governance and keeping people at the centre, IRU President Radu Dinescu told transport leaders in Seoul.

IRU’s Commission on Innovation and Technology (CIT) brought together members and industry experts in Brussels to exchange views on the technologies, regulatory developments and practical challenges shaping the future of commercial road transport.

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.

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.

IRU recently hosted the first meeting of the H2Accelerate TRUCKS Fuel Cell End User Group, bringing together 70 experts from Europe’s hydrogen and transport industries. Their focus: moving hydrogen trucks from pilot deployments to commercial scale.

More than 30 delegates from 16 countries gathered in Türkiye for IRU’s Commission on Customs Affairs (CAD), putting emerging trade corridors, stronger regional connectivity and eTIR deployment at the centre of discussions.

IRU welcomes the European Commission’s Fair Labour Mobility Package published today, in particular its drive to digitalise social security and qualification procedures, improve interoperability between EU systems, and reduce the recurring administrative burden of cross-border labour mobility which falls disproportionately on small and medium sized firms, of which the vast majority of road transport operators are.

Myanmar’s leading freight forwarding association has joined IRU to bolster international connectivity and support the development of sustainable logistics.

The European Commission’s proposal for a new Public Procurement Regulation is a significant step towards quality-based competition, but further improvements are needed to ensure fair and competitive public procurement for road transport.

At the 11th Economy and Logistics Summit in Türkiye, IRU President Radu Dinescu highlighted road transport’s growing strategic importance and Türkiye’s central role in emerging trade corridors.

IRU welcomes global energy leader Air Liquide as its newest member.

IRU and T&E are calling on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to launch a strategic dialogue on heavy-duty vehicle decarbonisation, as key EU rules head for review and rising energy and cost pressures add urgency to getting the transition right.

Much of the industry is facing a shortage of drivers. At the same time, many countries lack formalised qualification frameworks as well as professional driver training standards and certification. What’s being done to tackle these two interlinked challenges?

The Rhine’s historically low water levels highlight the importance of resilient, flexible and multimodal transport networks.

The Netherlands’ national road transport licensing authority has joined IRU to support stronger industry representation, sustainability and digitalisation.