Earlier this week, members of the European Parliament voted in favour of harmonising the rules governing abnormal transport. The change has been strongly advocated by the European Association for Abnormal Road Transport and Cranes (ESTA). 

During the session, MEPs voted with 330 votes in favour, 207 against and 74 abstentions, marking a major milestone towards the revision of the EU’s Weights and Dimensions Directive (96/53). As the proposals have already been ratified by the Parliament’s Transport and Tourism Committee, the proposals will enter a process of consultation between the Council and the Parliament.

Commenting on the new milestone, ESTA Director Ton Klijn said, “European operators transporting indivisible loads face a huge number of different national provisions covering language requirements, the escorting and marking of vehicles, permitting systems and more. These unnecessary and petty rules make the industry less safe and less efficient.”

“Abnormal transport companies are crucial for the prosperity of the European economy through their work in the renewable energy, infrastructure, oil and gas, heavy industry and power generation sectors,” adds Klijn.

SERT adoption

The revised regulations now include the much-awaited implementation of SERT documentation across Europe for the registration of abnormal load vehicles.

SERT, which stands for Special European Registration for Trucks and Trailers, aims to simplify the paperwork and reduce the bureaucracy faced by the industry. It was originally introduced as part of the European Best Practice Guidelines for Abnormal Road Transport and was included in a European Commission Transport Directive in 2005. However, only a few member states have adopted it until now.

Furthermore, MEPs adopted proposals to set up a one-stop shop per country for permits and implement standardised permit application forms. Also, MEPs voted in favour of the use of electronic permits, harmonisation of escorting rules and vehicle markings, a ban on language requirements for drivers and permitting systems available in all EU languages.

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The Weights and Dimensions Directive establishes the maximum permitted dimensions of heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) used in national and international commercial transport, as well as the maximum permitted weights of HDVs used in international commercial transport. This regulation promotes fair competition, as member states are not allowed to restrict the movement of vehicles that comply with these limits from conducting international transport operations within their territories.

“The importance of the heavy transport industry to Europe’s economy as a whole is at last being recognised by at least some of our politicians and regulators, but there is a long way to go yet before our proposals are adopted. There is a lot of work still to do. Therefore, ESTA is calling on the Council to step up its efforts and support further harmonisation of abnormal transport in the EU,”  Klijn said.