Mobility Package 1 negotiations resulted in a last-minute deal among legislators that focused mainly on goods transport. This left coach tourism drivers with driving and rest time rules not suited to their work. IRU welcomes the European Commission’s proposal, which is a step in the right direction that will benefit coach tourism drivers, passengers and operators.

IRU welcomes today’s vote by the European Parliament's Committee on Transport on the alternative fuels infrastructure regulation (AFIR). The agreed text sets an initial and binding EU legal framework, but it falls short of the level of ambition called for by IRU.

IRU’s New Industry Shapers project profiles inspiring people from all over the world leading the road transport industry into the future.

IRU has met with EU Transport Commissioner Adina Vălean at a crucial time in the development of important social, environmental and digitalisation files related to road transport.

The UN General Assembly yesterday adopted a resolution to establish a World Sustainable Transport Day

IRU has announced the 2023 Grand Prix d’Honneur winners at its 75th anniversary event and launched a new campaign on unique individuals shaping the future of road transport. 

IRU has published its annual report for 2022, looking at the organisation’s progress and achievements in a year when it had to deliver during challenging times.

The European Year of Skills is an opportunity to ramp up efforts to reduce bus and truck driver shortages.

In the fourth edition of this special series spotlighting some of the women leaders of our industry, we feature Theresa-Jasmin Meyering, Trainer and Bus & Coach Business Manager at Meyering Verkehrsbetriebe.

Safety drives all aspects of IRU's work. For decades, IRU and its members have worked together to make road transport safer for everyone, including drivers.

Decarbonisation: it’s not only about alternative fuels. Eco-driving is synonymous with fuel efficiency. By driving more efficiently, drivers can reduce their fuel consumption – and thus CO2 emissions – by up to 15%.

The European Parliament has adopted a new emissions trading system for buildings and road transport (ETS II) that will go live in 2027.

Transport operators have extensive information on their vehicles. What is harder to come by is information on their drivers’ skills profile. Internationally recognised assessments can fill the gap.

Spain is facing a shortage of drivers – and it’s likely to get worse if current trends continue. We asked Ramón Valdivia, Executive Vice President of IRU member ASTIC and IRU Presidential Executive member, what is being – and should be – done in response.

Transport operators should be able to choose from the options available in a free market. The European Commission’s Greening Corporate Fleets initiative must incentivise transport operators to purchase zero-emission vehicles, not force them. 

IRU has welcomed the provisional agreement reached between the European Council, Commission and Parliament on the alternative fuels infrastructure regulation (AFIR). While the deal falls short on the level of ambition called for by IRU, it does increase the investment commitment of Member States.

The Council of the European Union has adopted its general approach on the Data Act. IRU has previously welcomed the text adopted by the European Parliament. But the Council’s version allows data holders to refuse users access to their own data. As with the Parliament’s text, IRU welcomes the clarification regarding vehicle users and third parties’ access to vehicle-generated data, as well as the additional limits on governments’ access to such data.

IRU, the world road transport organisation, celebrates its 75th anniversary today, eyeing mobility and logistics opportunities that lie ahead. The International Road Transport Union, the voice of over 3.5 million road transport companies operating mobility and logistics services, was founded in Geneva on 23 March 1948.

Italy, just like many other countries, is suffering from a shortage of drivers, which is compounded by the minimum driving age being 21. Italian bus operator Bus Company has taken matters into its own hands, launching a training academy. Fabrizio Corona, Responsible for Academy and Training at Bus Company, told us all about it.

The European Parliament has adopted its position on the Data Act, the first EU industrial data rulebook, setting harmonised rules on accessing, sharing and using data generated by connected products, such as vehicles, and related services.

Coming together for their biannual meetings, IRU’s EU passenger and goods transport members adopted key sector positions aimed at reducing pollutant emissions and decarbonising corporate fleets. The European Commission’s proposal on Euro 7 emission standards is on the to-do list of EU legislators.

IRU’s Secretary General has outlined solutions to key challenges facing the road transport sector at the global road transport trade union conference held in Johannesburg, South Africa. Starting with the Covid-19 pandemic, several crises have struck the road transport industry in recent years, leading to supply chain instabilities and exacerbating other long-standing challenges, such as excessive border queues.

Commercial road transport has traditionally been a male-dominated industry. Nevertheless, the percentage of women working in the sector is slowly but steadily changing. We look at some of them on this special day. The share of women truck drivers is less than 3% in most regions.

Following the reopening of China’s borders, the first ever complete TIR movement by a Chinese company was conducted successfully. A Chinese TIR truck departed from Zhengzhou, the logistics and manufacturing hub in Central China's Henan province, and successfully arrived at its destination, marking the first door-to-door TIR operation by a Chinese operator.

Identifying and analysing robust data on driver shortages has been central to our collective actions and political lobbying at the national and global level. The 2023 IRU Driver Shortage Survey is open until 15 March 2023. We invite you to share it with your members.

The Secretaries General of IRU and the Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia (TRACECA) have held high-level talks on evolving routes, intermodal transport and digitalisation.

The European Commission’s proposal for the revision of the EU Driving Licence Directive has many promising aspects that can address the chronic shortage of drivers in the goods transport sector. But it falls completely short when it comes to passenger mobility. The European Commission has today published its proposal for the EU Driving Licence Directive.

A timely roll-out of alternative fuels infrastructure is a basic requirement for a large-scale shift to zero-emission vehicles, but Member States show no sign of supporting this ambition. Earlier this month, the EU Commission released its long-awaited proposal on CO₂ standards for heavy-duty vehicles.

Pakistani operator National Logistics Cell (NLC) has delivered essential relief items to people impacted by the devastating earthquake in Türkiye. A caravan of 21 trucks operated by NLC, a TIR carrier in Pakistan, transported humanitarian aid – including tents, blankets and other basic aid supplies – to Türkiye.

On the sidelines of the UN’s 85th Inland Transport Committee (ITC) session last week, IRU’s Secretary General and Iraq’s Minister of Transport discussed the country’s highly anticipated accession to the TIR system. The Republic of Iraq, with the support of its Ministry of Transport, has completed all national requirements to join TIR, laying the ground for the final official accession step with the UN.

IRU was involved in a wide range of activities at the UN’s 85th Inland Transport Committee (ITC) session this week, driving road transport forward with its members, governments and international organisations. It was a busy week in Geneva. Road transport actors from around the world were in town for the 85th ITC session, including delegations from the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)’s 56 member states and far beyond.

The Parliament of Togo has unanimously endorsed a new transport law developed by IRU with the support of the World Bank. IRU, drawing on its global expertise, advised the Togolese government, transport operators and professional organisations on revamping the transport sector and improving its operation. These efforts, which were initiated in 2020 and supported by the World Bank, culminated into a new transport law adopted by the Parliament of Togo.

Major transport and tourism organisations have called upon the EU Commission to support an ambitious proposal on specific driving and rest time rules for coach tourism. Currently, coach tourism drivers are subject to the same rules regarding the organisation of their driving and rest time rules as truck drivers. However, the nature of their work is considerably different.

IRU member DKV Mobility boasts one of the largest networks of alternative energy solutions in Europe. We sat down with Marc Erkens, DKV Mobility’s Head of Sustainability and New Mobility, to discuss how the company is helping its customers decarbonise, and the challenges that lie ahead.