Smart tachographs in the EU: The Dutch perspective
With the EU’s tachograph retrofitting process underway, we caught up with our member Transport en Logistiek Nederland (TLN) to get their perspective on how the industry is dealing with the new devices and where next for this technology.
Driving change: Key takeaways on zero-emission freight in and around cities
In the second of a three-part webinar series, IRU and POLIS brought together European leaders working to achieve carbon neutrality in road freight transport in and around cities. The group debated key issues on the complex road to 2050.
Platform Workers Directive: National implementation is now key
EU Member States have reached a last-minute consensus on the Platform Workers Directive, aiming to regulate the gig economy while accommodating diverse national models. The focus now turns to national implementation.
Parliament backs immediate smart greening of EU road transport
IRU welcomes today’s vote in the European Parliament’s plenary on the Weights and Dimensions Directive. The Parliament has improved the incentives that the European Commission had proposed to accelerate the uptake of zero-emission vehicles.
Drivers and cargo at risk: EU urgently needs more secure truck parking
IRU has reiterated the urgent need for more safe and secure parking areas at a conference in the European Parliament. The debate was followed by the European Truck Parking Award ceremony. The winners are located in France and Spain.
European Parliament adopts pragmatic, SME-friendly GHG reporting measures
IRU welcomes the joint committee vote in the European Parliament on the CountEmissions EU proposal. The committees’ report allows sub-contractors, which are mainly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to use secondary data. It also rightly puts an immediate focus on reporting based on the ISO standard, as it is too soon for a switch to a life-cycle approach.
Driving change: Zero-emission freight webinar inspires European stakeholders
Europe’s road freight transport industry, cities and regions all agree on the need to become carbon neutral by 2050. Given the diversity of actors and challenges, which include the frictionless transport of goods, access to consumers, and the reduction of air and noise pollution, how to reach this goal is a more complex question.
Respect drivers: A targeted and intelligence-led enforcement for Europe
IRU outlined key measures to improve the treatment of drivers during roadside checks and to digitalise control documents at a high-level conference on road control organised by the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Mobilising Poland’s road transport know-how for Europe and beyond
IRU member EwiCenter equips operators and drivers with information, data and software to set wages, navigate the EU’s Mobility Package and boost the attractiveness of the driver profession. We caught up with the company’s CEO, Mariusz Hendzel, to better understand how.
Farmer protests: governments must compensate damages
Many farmer protests across Europe have seriously disrupted logistic chains, blocking key routes, attacking trucks and destroying cargo, often with the police as a passive witness. The cost for drivers and transport firms is huge and growing. They need compensation.
Our young bus and coach drivers are safe and Europe’s future
A young bus or coach driver is often viewed – mistakenly – as being unsafe. But with the training that they undergo, they become skilled and reliable professional drivers on par with their older colleagues, safely performing a vital societal service. In this article, Meyering Verkehrsbetriebe’s Bus & Coach Business Manager and Trainer explains just why we need to revisit our perception of young bus and coach drivers.
Austria makes essential freight traffic captive to skiers
Austria has extended a weekend driving ban during the ski season on one of the EU’s busiest commercial routes, exclusively targeting freight transit operations. This further challenges the principle of the free movement of goods in the EU, just to clear the way for ski lovers. The European Commission must ensure that Austria respects fundamental EU principles.
Vote beyond myths: Back EU transport committee’s pragmatic licence position
Young professional drivers in the EU have been the target of a misguided safety campaign. The European Parliament's Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) provides concrete steps to address the EU’s youth unemployment and driver shortage while carefully considering and addressing road safety aspects. Its vision should be endorsed by the plenary.
EU transport committee OKs new CO₂ incentives but ignores proven solutions
IRU welcomes today’s European Parliament Transport Committee vote on vehicle weights and dimensions. They confirmed key CO₂ emission incentives, but, disappointingly, placed additional obstacles against wider use of European Modular System vehicles.
EU environment committee backs mixed deal on heavy vehicle CO₂ standards
IRU takes stock of today’s vote in the European Parliament’s Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) on CO₂ emission standards for new heavy-duty vehicles. It is a mixed bag for the commercial road transport sector.
Protecting animals during transport: EU needs better, more applicable rules
IRU’s EU goods transport members have unanimously approved the organisation’s position on the European Commission’s proposal to amend rules governing the protection of animals during transport.
From long-haul to last mile: IRU and POLIS tackle zero-emission logistics
What are the challenges and opportunities facing the European logistics sector’s journey to carbon neutrality? IRU and POLIS will address your pressing decarbonisation questions during a three-part webinar series. Join us tomorrow for part one.
Interoperability: IRU outlines road-rail digitalisation synergies
IRU unpacked road-rail digitalisation opportunities to boost the efficiency and transparency of trade at the European Commission’s “Investors Forum for EU-Central Asia Transport Connectivity” in Brussels.
North Macedonia’s Best Mobility joins IRU
The Republic of North Macedonia’s national road transport association, Best Mobility NTA, has joined IRU as its newest member.
IMERA: IRU welcomes needed EU deal on crisis management protocol
The European Parliament and Council have reached a provisional agreement on a new crisis coordination framework requiring Member States to be transparent on their crisis measures. This now needs to happen in practice.
European Road Freight Rate Benchmark Q4 2023: Contract market holds up but spot market plummets
The Upply x Ti x IRU European road freight rates index shows that the Q4 spot rate index was down 14.8 points year over year. However, the quarter-over-quarter fall in the contractual rates index was limited to 0.9 points, due to high costs and, in particular, the toll increases in Q4 2023.
French protests: European Commission weighs options with IRU
IRU and its member federations from France, Romania and Spain have met with EU Transport Commissioner Adina Vălean on actions to protect drivers and road transport services amid the ongoing French farmer protests.
Done deal: Major victory for EU coach drivers and tourism
Coach tourism is finally recognised by European legislators. The Council presidency and European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement that gives coach tourism drivers rules meant for their profession.
EU Member States must keep vital road corridors open amidst protests
Current protests in France, as well as recent and possible new protests in other Member States, can endanger the free movement of goods, one of the fundamental principles of the EU, while jeopardising the security of drivers and their cargo. The European Commission must intervene to ensure the free movement of goods.
IRU urges European Commission to address damaging border waiting times
The road transport sector is strongly concerned that additional border control measures introduced by Bulgaria and Romania to fight irregular migration, in the context of accession to the Schengen area, are having disproportionately negative consequences on goods transport and trade.
Road transport industry to EU states: Reject mandatory purchasing targets
IRU, the world road transport organisation, has called on EU Member States to firmly reject the European Parliament’s proposal to impose mandatory purchasing targets for zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles on transport operators.