Business, Freight News, Logistics, Road

Europe consults on longer trucks but…

[ January 6, 2012   //   Chris ]

The European Commission has opened a public consultation on allowing longer trucks of over 25.75 metres and weighing up to 60 tonnes on the pan-European road network. The consukltation, which runs until 27 February, would revise Directive 96/53/EC.
However, the Commission added that it has no intention of authorising use of these trucks at this stage, saying that there are still too many unknowns about the long-term impact of such vehicles, in particular on infrastructure, road safety, the environment and modal shift.
One issue that may be addressed is the anomaly that, whereas some EU countries’ national legislation allows 25.75m long trucks – for example Sweden and Finland – cross-border movements between such countries is, technically, illegal.
The Commission is also considering adapting rules on vehicle length to allow improvements to aerodynamics, and allowing derogations from weight limitations for electric vehicles, together with removing some of the existing restrictions on transport of 45-foot containers.