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As of 3 July 2026, crude relief has arrived before pump relief. Brent reached USD 72.49 a barrel on 3 July, putting it 0.7% below the 27 February baseline. But the EU weighted diesel average rose to EUR 1.766 per litre, 8.1% above the baseline, as Germany and Spain let key fuel-tax relief lapse on 30 June. US diesel is still USD 1.282 per litre, 25.5% above the baseline. Here is the latest overview for the road transport sector.

IRU welcomes the provisional agreement reached by the European Parliament and the Council on targeted amendments to the Eurovignette Directive as an important step towards greater legal clarity on CO₂-based road charging for heavy-duty vehicles across the EU.

A major regulatory shift began on 1 July for Europe’s van sector: cross-border light commercial vehicles (LCVs) above 2.5 tonnes must now comply with EU rules on driving and rest times, mandatory smart tachographs and driver posting. This means equipping vehicles with tachographs and adapting to entirely new compliance requirements affecting drivers and day-to-day operations.

Women remain significantly underrepresented in the road passenger transport workforce, especially as drivers. At the launch of UN Tourism’s first global study on women in tourism transport, IRU outlined practical ways to attract and retain more women workers in bus and coach operations.

IRU’s latest global driver shortage report finds that recruitment difficulties are worsening, with the shortage topping operators’ concerns across most surveyed markets.

IRU takes note of the Council’s agreed negotiating position on the grids package as an important step towards strengthening the EU’s energy infrastructure to support electrification and decarbonisation.

A harmonised EU-wide approach to mandatory security updates for tachographs is needed, with legal certainty, equal treatment of operators, and consistent implementation across the bloc.

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.

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.

IRU’s new position paper on the European Commission’s proposed Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) calls for practical adjustments to ensure the framework strengthens industrial competitiveness and decarbonisation without undermining the road transport sector.

As of 19 June 2026, Brent crude is trading at around USD 80 a barrel, its lowest level since early March. Brent is now broadly flat year on year. At the pump, the relief is starting to show: the EU weighted diesel average has eased to EUR 1.783 a litre, now just 9% above the 27 February baseline. The US average diesel price has fallen to USD 1.354 per litre. Here’s the latest overview for the road transport sector.

IRU Secretary General Umberto de Pretto has been in the road transport industry for over 30 years. As he prepares to hand over the reins, we sat down with him to reflect on those three decades. The first part of the interview looks at the industry. The second is on IRU itself.

The Council of the European Union and the European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement to strengthen the Market Stability Reserve (MSR) for the EU emissions trading system covering buildings, road transport and additional sectors (ETS2), ahead of its full launch in 2028. The agreement backs the European Commission’s proposal to reinforce the existing safeguards designed to limit excessive carbon price volatility.

IRU brought the voice of commercial road transport operators to POLITICO’s Energy & Climate Forum in Brussels, joining European Commissioners, national policymakers, members of the European Parliament, industry leaders and energy experts in discussions on Europe’s energy, climate and competitiveness agenda.

IRU, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) call for urgent international action to better protect bus and coach drivers in frontal collisions.

As of 5 June 2026, Brent crude is trading around USD 95 a barrel, a 3% reduction since 22 May. However, it has seen great volatility since 28 May, trading between USD 91 and USD 99 a barrel. Here is the latest overview for the road transport sector, including pump prices.

IRU’s General Assembly and transport councils brought together members from around the world to connect, discuss and decide on key issues.

IRU played a prominent role in bridging EU and national policies, as well as policymaker and operator priorities, at Transpotec Logitec and Next Mobility 2026, a major international exhibition and conference for freight transport, logistics and passenger mobility in Milan, Italy.

IRU members have voted to adopt a new Charter for Women in Road Transport. It sets out core principles to increase women’s participation across the industry’s workforce.

IRU members have unanimously adopted a resolution calling for a fuel crisis mechanism and urging governments to work with road transport operators on the development of contingency plans.

IRU, the world road transport organisation, has published its 2025 annual report, outlining key achievements in driving safe, efficient and sustainable road transport across the globe.

On 22 May 2026, Brent crude is trading at around USD 105 a barrel, down 4% from last week. Diesel pump prices have started to ease in several markets, but the European fiscal-cliff calendar is now densely packed into the last week of May and the first week of June. Here is the latest overview for the road transport sector.

The first IRU Academy Accredited Training Institute (ATI) e-meeting of the year brought together more than 45 participants from around 30 countries to discuss the future of professional road transport training, with a strong focus on driver mobility, dangerous goods transport and recent IRU Academy developments.

With transport ministers and leaders gathered in Leipzig for the 2026 International Transport Forum (ITF) Summit, IRU called for practical reform and facilitation measures to strengthen road transport resilience and help the sector respond to growing global disruptions.

On 8 May 2026, Brent crude is trading around USD 100 a barrel, around 20% lower than a week ago. Diesel pump prices in the EU are easing on the back of the crude unwind and five fiscal packages all simultaneously in force for the first time since the war in Iran. Here is the latest overview for the road transport sector.

At the 2026 International Transport Forum (ITF) Summit in Leipzig, IRU’s Secretary General delivered a stark message to ministers and transport leaders: the world has entered a state of permanent crisis mode, and governments must move from discussion to action to help transport systems respond to growing global disruptions.

IRU welcomes the vote of the European Parliament Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) on the provisional agreement revising the coordination of social security systems at EU level.

On 30 April 2026, Brent crude is trading near USD 126, the highest level since 27 February and up around 18% week on week. The European market is heading into the 1 May Labour Day holiday with a tight cluster of national fiscal policy decisions. Here is the latest overview for the road transport sector.

IRU welcomes the European Commission’s new Temporary Crisis Framework targeting several sectors most affected by the energy crisis, particularly the explicit recognition of the exceptional pressures facing road transport operators. However, Member State action remains key to turning the opportunities created by the framework into real support for the sector.

IRU welcomes the European Parliament’s adoption of the agreement reached with the Council on the CountEmissionsEU regulation, establishing a common EU approach to emissions calculation for road transport. This marks the effective conclusion of the legislative process.

On 24 April 2026, Brent was trading above USD 105 a barrel despite the indefinite extension of the US–Iran ceasefire announced on 21 April. Diesel pump prices in the EU fell week on week, but stabilised over the last few days, marking a halt to the downward trend. Here is the latest overview for the road transport sector.

IRU welcomes the targeted transport measures, calls for clearer contingency planning should supply conditions deteriorate, and expects broader financial support through a separate State aid framework.