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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.

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.

One of the greatest strengths of coach tourism is its ability to connect travellers with places that other transport modes often cannot reach. While rail and aviation naturally concentrate passengers around major hubs, coaches provide the flexibility to reach smaller towns, rural communities and cultural routes, spreading the benefits of tourism more evenly.

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.

Affordable, accessible and sustainable transport helps more people discover more places. Spain's Verano Joven programme shows what is possible when public policy and a strong coach network work together.

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?

A beautiful landscape, a historic town or a unique visitor attraction does not automatically attract coach groups. What does? We asked Anna Grönlund, Deputy Managing Director of the Swedish Bus and Coach Federation (Sveriges Bussföretag) and Vice President of IRU.

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.

Europe is redefining the future of tourism. The forthcoming EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy is an opportunity to build a tourism model that is greener, more resilient, more inclusive and more beneficial for local communities. Achieving these ambitions will require looking beyond traditional assumptions and recognising the transport solutions that are already delivering tangible results.

Benin now has a forward-looking plan for formalising and professionalising its road transport sector.

IRU and TransFollow have joined forces to accelerate market acceptance and uptake of fully digital road freight and logistics with the eCMR standard.

Canada's national workforce development organisation for trucking and logistics has joined IRU to help address the workforce challenges shaping the future of road transport.

Argentina is not facing a uniform shortage of truck drivers. Instead, the country is seeing a widening gap between the drivers available and the qualifications required in its most demanding transport sectors.

For Erica Giraldo, AFTRI’s Legal and Public Affairs Officer, the solution to France’s chronic bus and truck driver shortage is twofold: better communicating the new and improved image of the profession to attract younger generations and the local workforce, and, in a second step, relying on foreign talent to fill the gaps.

Recent field visits to the Gürbulak–Bazargan border crossing between Türkiye and Iran and the Dilucu–Sederek border crossing between Türkiye and Azerbaijan brought together IRU, its members UND and ITCAI, customs authorities, and the road transport industry to review border procedures and identify practical steps to boost freight flows.

All four countries joining eCMR in 2026 are in the Western Balkans region. The latest is Serbia.

A new road transport training centre has opened in Uzbekistan, strengthening the skills of trainers and assessors to drive the sustainable professionalisation of the sector.

The IRU x Upply x Ti Q2 2026 report shows that European contract and spot markets have accelerated sharply, breaking with the softer conditions seen through late 2025 and in Q1 2026. Contract rates rose to 148 index points, up 7.9 points quarter on quarter (QoQ) and 15.2 points year on year (YoY). Spot rates climbed even more steeply, reaching 146.8 index points, up 14.6 points QoQ and 13.9 points YoY, nearly double contract rate's quarterly pace. After three quarters of divergence, both markets

Italy’s truck driver shortage has slightly eased. It currently stands at 9%. But the underlying challenges remain. The issue is not only about numbers, Andrea Tardivo, Technical Expert at IRU member CONFETRA, told us.

A new EU-supported project aims to address acute road transport labour shortages by testing safe, legal labour mobility pathways for trained and certified professional drivers between non-EU talent partnership countries and the EU.

IRU and the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) have reaffirmed their commitment to closer cooperation on road transport, digitalisation and trade facilitation across the ECO region.

That is the warning from Danilo Guedes, Vice President of IRU member NTC&Logística, as Brazil participates in IRU’s global driver shortage survey for the first time.