29 April 2022

EC PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON THE WEIGHTS AND DIMENSIONS DIRECTIVE

The European Commission opened on 26 April a public consultation on the evaluation of the Directive 96/53/EC on weights and dimensions for heavy duty-vehicles. For reference, the Directive, sets out standards for the maximum weights and dimensions of heavy-duty vehicles used in national and international transport. As announced in the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, the revision of the Directive would help to make road transport more sustainable by making available sustainable alternatives and the right incentives to drive the transition.

As mentioned in its feedback to the call for evidence on this initiative earlier this year, CLECAT welcomes the revision of the Directive, which should contribute to a more efficient and low-emission transport system and harmonised rules for cross-border operations. CLECAT would support amending the current 40-tonne weight limitation for border crossings (Annex 1, Article 2.2) to 44 tonnes. We would equally support an increase of the maximum weight on the entire EU road transport network, or at least along the TEN-T core and comprehensive network to 44 tonnes in all countries. To further improve multimodality and efficiency of all modes of transport, incentives to promote a shift to multimodal transport are essential to reach the ambitions of the EU Green Deal. Therefore, we would welcome the increase of the maximum weight of lorries taking part in all multimodal transport operations across the EU, including intermodal and combined transport, to 46 tonnes.

The public consultation is open until 19 July. The adoption of a Commission proposal is expected for Q1 2023.