With a marginal majority (300 votes against 295), the European Parliament has approved the legislative proposals of the Weights and Dimensions Directive (WDD) part of the Greening Freight Transport Package (GFTP). In practice, this means that the Parliament approved, among other things, the circulation of gigaliner trucks and the use of heavier trucks diesel-powered trucks (44 tonnes) in cross-border operations.
The amended directive will next be analysed and considered by the EU Council. If the council does not approve part(s) of the proposal, it will be sent back to the EU Parliament for reconsideration and additional amendments. If the EU Council approves the text as it is, then it will be adopted as an EU law.
In simple words, this is not a done deal. However, the EU Parliament’s conviction in promoting ‘monstertrucks’, as the German association Die Güternahnen calls them, is alarming. The energy the rail sector has invested in stressing the flaws of the WDD and its tendency to promote the extensive use of longer and heavier trucks cannot be highlighted enough.
An array of organisations, associations, and companies have underlined the dangers behind deploying gigaliner trucks in domestic operations and heavy diesel-powered trucks in cross-border operations. The problem is more than a lack of clear focus from the legislative side regarding following through with decarbonisation goals.
It is also related to the unhealthy competition between road and rail, the incompatibility of the two transport modes concerning intermodal operations and infrastructure safety, and maintenance issues arising from extended truck use. A central question that the rail industry has been asking the EU in this sense is who will benefit from this legislation after all.
Road associations also voice concerns
Rail’s dismay at the situation was illustrated during last week’s press conference, which featured leading sector CEOs, including Sabrina De Filippis, CEO of Mercitalia Logistics; Clemens Först, CEO of the ÖBB Rail Cargo Group; Frédéric Delorme, CEO of Rail Logistics Europe and Fret SNCF; and Dirk Stahl, CEO of BLS Cargo and president of ERFA.
However, the rail industry is not the only one protesting the situation. ACE Auto Club Europe, a German association promoting road safety, was also vocal about it. In a joint statement with rail association Allianz pro Schiene, ACE Chairman Stefan Heimlich said that “the increasing transport of goods by road is putting an enormous strain on the infrastructure”.
He added that “many roads and bridges are already exposed to loads many times the originally planned ones and urgently need renovation. Several thousand motorway bridges alone must be replaced in the coming years. Longer and heavier trucks will lead to even more wear and tear and are therefore not justifiable.”
The EU Council will determine the future of this directive and whether it will enter into force with no amendments or, at least, considerations for equal transport mode treatment, fair competition and practical decarbonisation objectives.
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