The debate on the proposal for a revision of the directive on the maximum weights and dimensions of certain road vehicles (96/53/EC) centred on the issue of longer and heavier trucks crossing borders. Until now, those "megatrucks" are only authorised in Scandinavia and, on a trial basis, in the Netherlands and parts of Germany.
From the beginning, the cross border circulation of such trucks faced opposition in parliament as numerous studies have shown that the negative effects outweigh the benefits. Those huge trucks are a threat to road safety and also to the environment. Many experts warn against high costs that would have to be paid by tax payers, while profits would increase only for a few large transport companies. The European commission will be obliged to conduct a comprehensive report on megatrucks by 2016, taking into account potential impacts on modal split, costs of infrastructure adaption and international competition.
Instead of allowing for bigger trucks, my report puts an emphasis on safety and the environment. Tackling climate change is more urgent than ever after the report presented last weekend by the United Nations. Heavy-good vehicles are responsible for about 26 per cent of road transport CO2 emissions in Europe while their fuel efficiency has hardly improved over the last 20 years. Therefore we must step up efforts to shift freight from road to rail as outlined in the white paper on transport. At the same time, trucks should be designed to cut emissions by improving aerodynamics and incentives should be provided for trucks using low-carbon technologies. The report also promotes combined road-rail or road-ship transport operations for standard 45-foot containers.
We want to make our roads safer both for professional drivers and for all citizens. One of the measures to improve safety in all trucks is to improve direct vision in particular by reducing blind spots all around the cab. A new cab profile will minimize the risk of overruns, thus increasing safety for other road users, particularly pedestrians or cyclists. After a transitional period this new cabin will be mandatory seven years from entry into force of the directive. New trucks will also be equipped with on-board weighing systems to prevent overloading.