Newsroom

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.

Protect the North American trade deal, modernise borders and keep goods flowing. That was the message from IRU’s recent North American Transportation Forum webinar. The discussion focused on the future of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), also known as CUSMA in Canada and T-MEC in Mexico, as the three countries move through the agreement’s six-year review process.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is reinforcing its role as a key trade hub through its strong and continued support for the TIR system, led by the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA). This commitment is translating into tangible and growing benefits, with faster and more efficient cross-border procedures and an expanding range of operational scenarios.

At a recent TIR roundtable in Geneva, IRU members from across Eurasia discussed how to strengthen corridor connectivity, address bottlenecks and accelerate digitalisation.

North America depends on efficient cross-border trucking. Following a leadership dialogue with CEOs and senior trucking leaders in Mexico City, IRU has been working to ensure that the Canada–Mexico–US trade agreement – known as USMCA in the US, CUSMA in Canada and TMEC in Mexico, and currently up for review – addresses border challenges and long-standing commitments to improve cross-border supply chain operations.

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.

Eurasian road transport leaders met at the IRU Liaison Committee to Eurasia (CLEA) meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, last week to discuss current operational issues and recent customs and transport developments in the region.

A new TIR Green Lane at the Alashankou border crossing between China and Kazakhstan is amplifying the benefits of the tried-and-tested TIR system.

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

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.

At BSEC-URTA’s 47th General Assembly, transport leaders and industry representatives highlighted the growing strategic importance of the Black Sea region as a key bridge connecting Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East and the GCC region.

China is benefiting from a highly practical TIR use case: bonded cargo transport. By combining the tax and customs advantages of bonded zones with the speed, security and simplicity of TIR, Chinese cities are creating faster and more cost-effective overland routes to markets across Eurasia.

At the 12th World Free Zones Organization (WFZO) Congress in Panama City, IRU’s Secretary General warned that the era of single-route supply chains is over, urging free zones and governments to build trade corridors backed by agile, harmonised and digital frameworks.

The adoption of eCMR continues to gather momentum, with Albania having joined eCMR just a few weeks earlier.

The first eTIR transport operations between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan mark a major milestone for the digitalisation of international road transport in Central Asia.

As the Middle Corridor gains strategic importance for Europe–Asia trade, attention is shifting from political coordination to practical implementation. At a high-level roundtable in Brussels, IRU highlighted the concrete measures needed to make the route faster, more predictable and ready for investment.

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.

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.

EU Mobility Package rules will apply to light commercial vehicles from 1 July 2026.

IRU member the American Trucking Associations (ATA) has been calculating the tonnage index based on surveys from its membership since the 1970s. Here are the results for March 2026.

Hundreds of participants from across China gathered at a recent event on how TIR drives more efficient cross-border transport and supports a broader range of business needs.

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.

Close to 2,000 road transport operations were conducted via Iraq under the global TIR system over the past year.

An intermodal TIR operation from China to Uzbekistan marks a new step in the expansion of the global transit system and cross-border logistics innovation in China.

IRU and European road transport associations, including IRU members, have released a joint statement ahead of the upcoming court hearing on Austria’s anti-transit measures on the Brenner corridor.

The war in Iran is reshaping logistics. How are routes changing? How are companies adapting? What is the outlook for newly evolving routes? We tackled these pressing questions and much more during our webinar.

Albania has become the 40th country to join eCMR, the digital protocol to the United Nations CMR Convention.

IRU highlighted how the global TIR system is bolstering China–Central Asia transport links at a regional workshop in Beijing.

The EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) is entering into full operation across Schengen external borders, marking a new phase in its rollout.

The logistics playbook is changing. Flexibility and harmonised tools are more important than ever, IRU said at FIATA’s global event.

IRU’s new Intelligence Briefing, along with the accompanying webinar, is now available for download. It provides a data-grounded view of where road freight is heading in a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty.

The revised Package Travel Directive updates the definition of package travel and clarifies travellers’ rights while introducing changes that will directly affect how coach services are organised, contracted and reimbursed within package tours.

eTIR is gaining momentum in Central Asia, with cross-border operations planned for the coming months.