European truck manufacturers’ representative, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) based in Brussels is petitioning for a new policy framework to support an EU-wide higher-capacity transport system. This proposal would enable high-capacity vehicles, specifically designed to be capable to carry twice as much freight as that is carried by standard trucks today, to travel on dedicated parts of the EU road network. ACEA has lodged this proposal with policy makers in Brussels.

According to ACEA, experience shows high-capacity vehicles are more efficient and productive than regular heavy-goods vehicles. The truck trailer combinations can consolidate freight from smaller trucks, consuming less fuel and producing less emissions so making them more environmentally-friendly than standard vehicle combinations. A new ACEA paper (https://www.acea.be/publications/article/paper-high-capacity-transport) suggests three high-capacity vehicles can replace six regular trucks, reducing CO2 emissions by as much as 27%. Anticipated demand for freight transport is expected to grow substantially over the next few decades. ACEA says high-capacity vehicles provide a cost-effective means of coping with this growing demand while keeping carbon emissions in check – without having to modify or extend Europe’s existing road infrastructure. High-capacity vehicles in the form of European Modular System (EMS) combinations – these are generally tractor+semi-trailer+semi-trailer combinations of 25.25m in length and up to 60 tonnes gvw - are allowed already in part or whole of a number of countries such those in Scandinavia, as well as Belgium, Denmark, many German federal states, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain, according to ACEA. In these countries CO2 reductions have been confirmed in practice. Earlier concerns with respect to a possible modal shift from rail to road, wear and tear of roads and bridges, and safety, have also shown to be unjustified.