Newsroom

Amid threats to transport and trade caused by geopolitical conflicts, IRU’s Secretary General put the spotlight on the continued, and expanding, success of the global TIR transit system at Türkiye’s Global Transport Connectivity Forum 2025.

The European Commission’s proposal to extend toll exemptions for zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles is a welcome step but broader Eurovignette reforms are still urgently needed.

Strengthening Brazil’s logistics, accelerating decarbonisation, and implementing the TIR system were at the heart of a high-level meeting between IRU, NTC&Logística and Brazil’s Vice President, Geraldo Alckmin.

IRU welcomes progress on the Package Travel Directive but urges fairer rules for coach tourism operators.

Organised by Reuters Events, Road Transport USA brought together transport leaders, retailers and technology innovators to equip fleet operators with the tools and insights needed to navigate the path to carbon neutrality and maintain a competitive edge in a fast-evolving market.

The Netherlands is a European leader in taxi decarbonisation: one in four taxis are zero-emission vehicles. But as the country pushes forward, a critical question emerges: how effective are the increasingly ambitious greening targets if the conditions needed to achieve them are not yet in place?

The Ministry of Communications met with IRU yesterday to chart a path towards safer roads by tackling the leading cause of accidents: human error.

IRU welcomes today’s votes by the European Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) on new rules for enforcing passenger rights in the EU and in multimodal journeys but warns that some proposals risk placing excessive burdens on bus and coach operators.

With Iraq now fully operational in the TIR system, new faster and more flexible transport routes are opening between Europe and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. One example: from Poland to the United Arab Emirates in 10 days, more than halving the traditional 24-day journey.

South America stands to gain from more secure cross-border trade through the TIR system, including stronger links to global markets via key ports in Chile and across the region.

The chronic shortage of truck drivers continues to threaten the efficiency of transport and logistics operators. IRU outlined why a major part of the solution lies in professionalisation at ALACAT 2025 in Madrid.

IRU spoke to UPS about the real-world challenges of decarbonising logistics fleets. Without urgent investment in grid capacity, depot charging and energy storage, even the most advanced electric vehicles risk standing idle.

IRU, the world road transport organisation, has presented the 2025 Top Road Transport Manager award to 45 managers in ten countries.

The Middle Corridor can become a global example of efficient and connected trade, IRU underscored during International Transport Forum (ITF) Day at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

IRU joined key EU stakeholders at a high-level Implementation Dialogue on the rollout of the Emissions Trading System 2 (ETS2) and the Social Climate Fund (SCF), cornerstones of the EU’s climate strategy.

In a groundbreaking pilot, CEVA Logistics has run an electric heavy-duty truck, crossing China from Shenzhen, near Hong Kong, to Alashankou on the Kazakh border.

As global supply chains become increasingly interdependent, regulatory complexity is impeding competitiveness. “Simplify”, the first pillar of IRU’s newly adopted position, Driving Competitiveness – a Collective Call for Action, advocates for a renewed focus on regulatory simplification to improve global trade and transport efficiency and resilience. It follows recent wins at the UN level.

Tariffs and regulatory shocks are hitting North American trucking. Can the industry adapt in time?

The EU’s road transport sector is already decarbonising. But scaling up progress requires smart regulation, targeted investment and coordinated action. This was the central message from IRU’s recent high-level conference in Brussels.

Regulatory fragmentation is holding back the efficiency, safety and competitiveness of the road transport sector in the Western Balkans.

As the EU looks to strengthen working conditions, invest in skills, and modernise infrastructure, IRU and UNTRR met EU Executive VP Roxana Mînzatu to discuss practical solutions for drivers and operators alike.

TIR operations are taking off from borders and inland cities across China. From small consumer goods and ice cream to industrial cargo, TIR is making door-to-door, long-distance deliveries easier than ever.

With the TIR system now live in Iraq since April 2025, the Minister of Transport and industry leaders officially marked this milestone yesterday in Baghdad – signalling a new era for international logistics and trade.

How widespread is the use of AI in trucking? IRU unpacked AI adoption and key market patterns facing the industry at Transport Logistic in Munich.

With Pakistan’s TIR usage surging by 200% in 2025, IRU moderated two key panels at the latest Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Institute Research Conference. The discussions focused on operational hurdles and strategies to further raise regional transit efficiency.

In this article, Asli Çalik, member of IRU’s Presidential Executive, reflects on a hopeful shift in Türkiye – and calls on others to follow its lead.

At the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) ministerial meeting yesterday, IRU made a clear case: trade thrives where transport is digital and drivers are professional.

Road transport operators are beginning to invest in new vehicles. But for the decarbonisation transition to succeed, the sector needs clear, coordinated support. EU policymakers and road transport industry leaders are coming together to debate practical and scalable solutions to deliver environmental and economic benefits at IRU’s high-level event tomorrow in Brussels.

Digitalisation and eTIR are the future of trade facilitation. IRU’s Secretary General has urged customs authorities in the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) region to accelerate adoption to unlock growth and greater efficiency across borders.

IRU was at the heart of last week’s International Transport Forum (ITF) summit in Leipzig, championing pragmatic solutions to make road transport not only greener, but also more resilient and competitive in the face of global challenges.

The Secretary General of IRU, the world road transport organisation, outlined a pragmatic decarbonisation vision at a special closed-door ministers’ roundtable yesterday in Leipzig. Today, he charted the key to a resilient workforce primed for emergency preparedness.

Leading the dialogue on the future of automation in road transport at EUCAD 2025, IRU organised a workshop on AI and logistics, ensuring that the voice of operators was central to Europe’s cooperative, connected and automated mobility (CCAM) agenda.

Border delays, permit digitalisation, and visa hurdles dominated discussions at BSEC-URTA’s General Assembly last week, as regional leaders tackled urgent threats to road transport and trade in the Black Sea region.

With China TIR operations surging 90% over the past year, IRU members from China and across Eurasia convened in Geneva to explore new routes, expand logistics hubs, and unlock untapped transit potential.

IRU welcomes today’s vote by the European Parliament’s Transport and Tourism Committee endorsing the provisional Driving Licence Directive agreement reached during trilogue. This follows recent formal approval by the Council’s Committee of Permanent Representatives, the first of the EU co-legislators to back the deal. The reform responds to long-standing industry calls to address driver shortages and promote the digitalisation of driving licences while upholding high road safety standards.