Empowering the EU’s road transport industry

The EU’s road transport sector is at a crossroads. Now more than ever, it needs empowerment from policymakers to sustain the EU economy while advancing the transition to a greener future. With a worrying shortage of drivers, rising environmental concerns, and a need for increased efficiency, the International Road Transport Union (IRU) has laid out a roadmap for the future. Can the new legislation enable and empower the industry to deliver?
As the EU advances with the ambitious European Green Deal as part of its commitment to future generations, the commercial road transport industry stands at a pivotal moment. While the transition to a greener economy offers unprecedented opportunities to innovate and lead in Europe’s journey toward sustainability, it also presents undeniable challenges.
These challenges—ranging from a severe lack of workforce to the pressing need for decarbonization and digitalization—keenly needs legislators’ help to be effectively addressed. This vital support would benefit not only the road transport industry, but also the EU’s entire economy. The industry’s role as Europe’s mover and backbone makes its fate key for everyone.
IRU has released a timely and urgent manifesto outlining key policy actions for the new EU legislative term. IRU’s Manifesto, addressing the sector’s current challenges, serves as a guiding document for policymakers, emphasizing the need for a balanced approach that prioritizes sustainability, efficiency and innovation.
IRU’s Manifesto aligns with the EU’s goals of sustainability and economic prosperity. It serves as a roadmap that calls on the new European political leadership to take decisive action in three main areas: people, environment and prosperity.
Addressing the driver shortage
The driver shortage is a critical and persistent issue in our industry. However, as highlighted by IRU, this challenge can be turned into an opportunity. For the sector’s workers, the Manifesto outlines actions to ease access to the driver profession and enhance training, as well as to improve driver rest conditions.
The introduction of new, advanced vehicle technologies may attract a new generation of drivers who are eager to work in a modern, forward-thinking and environmentally conscious industry. To attract new talents, however, crucial measures are still needed. Many of these concern regulatory issues and public funding, such as keeping entry barriers to the profession low and improving working conditions by, for example, providing better access to safe and secure parking and revamping training and reskilling programs. This approach not only addresses the shortage of drivers but also ensures that our workforce is prepared for the future, whether in logistics or passenger transport.
Advancing decarbonization
To support the sector’s continued decarbonization, the Manifesto includes priorities on heavy-duty vehicle CO₂ standards, electricity grid capacity and the harmonization of urban vehicle access restrictions across the EU, which are becoming an increasing market barrier.
The shift to zero-emission vehicles is central to the EU’s climate goals. At the same time, there is no silver bullet for transport decarbonization. Combustion technologies based on low-carbon and carbon-neutral fuels are an alternative, and equally suitable from a climate perspective. The immense diversity of vehicle mission profiles, including special profiles such as for moving chemical substances or tool-trucks (e.g. trucks with incorporated cranes used in far off construction sites) or long-distance passenger coaches. This shows that a zero-emission strategy is not a black or white question, as embraced by the previous EU political leadership, and is not suitable for this sector and the economy as a whole.
While the adoption of electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles requires significant investment, it also positions road transport at the forefront of green mobility. IRU emphasizes that the burden is not only on transport operators. While operators do need financial incentives and support for the shift to much more expensive technologies, the transition can only work if accompanied by massive infrastructure investments, including the expansion of charging stations and hydrogen refueling points, and the significant upgrades needed for electricity grids.
With the right financial incentives and support schemes, operators can transition to greener technologies, providing the vehicles are still suitable for the specific mission profiles, once the infrastructure is also ready for change. This would help reduce our environmental impact and enhance the competitiveness of EU operators in a market that increasingly values sustainability. Buses and coaches, in particular, can benefit from this transition by becoming integral parts of clean, efficient public transport networks supporting the EU’s broader mobility goals.
Urban mobility policies, such as low-emission zones and congestion charges, impact both freight transport and passenger services. While we welcome these policies, the very different way in which they are set up and the fragmentation of requirements to simply prove compliance across different cities are increasingly creating barriers to the movement of people and goods. This is an area that could benefit from EU harmonization.
Digitalization and harmonizing regulations
For the sector’s key role in supporting prosperity, the Manifesto focuses on digitalizing transport documents, boosting efficiency and sustainability through the increased use of larger vehicles and vehicle combinations and combined transport, and clarifying in-vehicle data rules.
The road transport industry is being suffocated by extensive paperwork and regulatory compliance requirements, which raise costs and slow operations. The proposed digitalization of transport documents could streamline processes, reduce errors and improve the overall competitiveness of the sector.
Road transport needs support to drive the EU forward
The industry needs empowerment from policymakers to sustain the EU’s economy while advancing the green transition in a digitalized market economy.
The challenges facing the sector are complex and multifaceted, requiring a coordinated response at the European level. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are in a unique position to influence the direction of policy, ensuring that the sector not only survives but also thrives in the face of these challenges. By focusing on harmonization, the green transition, labor issues, digitalization, infrastructure, cross-border cooperation and social fairness, MEPs can help create a road transport sector that is efficient, sustainable and resilient for the future.
In doing so, they will ensure that the EU remains competitive in a global market while achieving its environmental and social objectives. The road ahead may be challenging, but with the right policies, it is one that the EU can navigate successfully.