| IRU and T&E call for urgent political support to secure a pragmatic compromise in the ongoing trilogue negotiations on the Weights and Dimensions Directive in coordinated letters to the European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU, and the European Parliament’s lead negotiator, Rosa Serrano Sierra.
The two organisations jointly urge EU institutions to prevent the collapse of negotiations on the revision of the Weights and Dimensions Directive. The proposal contains key measures enabling the operation of zero-emission vehicles, helping improve authorised payload capacity and operational efficiency, which are critical conditions for accelerating their deployment.
The signatories stress that failure to secure an agreement would create uncertainty for operators investing in zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles.
IRU and T&E warn that not reaching an agreement on the proposal would risk missing the opportunity to already deliver important weight compensation measures for zero-emission vehicles, including under the more cautious Council compromise. This would further risk undermining confidence in the practical feasibility of the transition itself.
IRU EU Director Raluca Marian said, “It is a simple operational reality that zero-emission vehicles are heavier than conventional diesel vehicles. Additional weight allowance is therefore crucial to avoid penalising operators investing in them and to help move towards a positive total cost of ownership.
“Of course, more flexibility would bring even greater benefits. But we are aware of some of the Member States’ red lines due to their infrastructure concerns and believe that achieving a meaningful improvement compared to today’s framework would already represent an important step forward in a gradual transition.
“This is our call today: the EU cannot ask operators to make unprecedented investments while failing to deliver any improvement in the practical regulatory conditions needed to make those investments viable.”
T&E Freight and Fleets Director Stef Cornelis said, “Increasing weight allowances for electric trucks is a critical catalyst for decarbonising freight. It would enable transport companies to carry the same amount of goods in electric trucks with bigger batteries and more range.
“Although not perfect, the Council position is already a big step forward, allowing some truck types to weigh four tonnes more. The negotiators should now prioritise striking a deal so truckmakers and transport companies get the necessary investment certainty.”
Both the Council and European Parliament positions already contain meaningful improvements compared to the current framework, despite differences in ambition.
The letter underlines that the Council approach, while more restrictive on the additional allowances, would still allow tangible operational improvements for zero-emission vehicles.
IRU and T&E call on EU policymakers to build on the progress already achieved in the negotiations and secure a constructive outcome that supports the decarbonisation of the bloc’s road transport sector. |
