European heavy transport reforms get TRAN backing
The European heavy transport sector is closer to having more clarity with its rules and regulations following a vote of the newly installed European Parliament’s important Transport and Tourism (TRAN) Committee on Monday, October 7.
The measures include the Europe-wide adoption of the standard Special European Registration for Trucks and Trailers (SERT) documentation for abnormal load vehicle registration. The measures have been supported by the European Association of Abnormal Road Transport and Mobile Cranes (ESTA) for many years.
Other measures include a ‘one-stop shop’ per country for permits, standardised permit application forms, use of electronic permits, harmonisation of escorting rules and vehicle markings, a ban on language requirements for drivers and permitting systems to be available in all EU languages.
All these measures are contained in the revisions to the EU’s Weights and Dimensions Directive (96/53) that are currently under discussion.
Read more: ESTA unveils a five-year plan for harmonised abnormal transport in Europe
The TRAN Committee meeting held at short notice saw 30 members vote in favor of the measure meaning the directive revision now moves to the next stage, which is negotiation with the Council, before their possible implementation.
“This is very good news indeed and the revised directive includes measures that ESTA has been requesting for many years. There is still a lot of work to do to ensure that the measures are not diluted or even rejected during the final rounds of discussions,” ESTA Director Ton Klijn said. “But it is clear that an increasing number of our politicians and regulators are beginning to appreciate the importance of our members work to Europe’s economy as a whole and are listening to our requests.”
TRAN Committee previously agreed on the revisions with the Parliament, however, progress stalled in June due to European elections.
The Weights and Dimensions Directive sets the maximum authorised dimensions of heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) used in national and international commercial transport and the maximum authorised weights of HDVs used in international commercial transport.
This ensures fair competition as member states cannot restrict the circulation of vehicles, which comply with these limits from performing international transport operations within their territories.
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