ECG welcomes special recognition to car transporters

For more than 15 years ECG has relentlessly called for a harmonisation of maximum loaded lengths of car transporters across Europe to at least 20.75m. Such harmonisation would mean a difference of up to 3 cars loaded, resulting in increased efficiency, less trucks on the roads, less costs for consumers and less CO2 emissions, and in addition would resolve the current confusion of individual national rules – hence also reducing administrative burden for ECG member companies and their truck drivers.

 ECG therefore strongly welcomes the European Parliament resolution of 9 September 2015 on ‘the implementation of the 2011 White Paper on Transport: taking stock and the way forward towards sustainable mobility’and specifically article 64, indent 11 which states “The European Parliament…calls for the Commission to start working without undue delay on the review of Directive (EU) 2015/719 on maximum authorised weights and dimensions, so that, at the latest by 2020, a report can be submitted to the European Parliament and the Council which takes into consideration specific characteristics of certain market segments such as specialised car transporters used within the sector of finished vehicle logistics”.

 ECG applauds this distinctive recognition given to car transporters and the clear political signal sent to the European Commission that market segments such as finished vehicle logistics are a unique and special case and eligible for the nextreview three years after the new Directive on weights and dimensions is transposed into national law(which may take up to two years).

 ECG would like to thank in particular MEP Gesine Meissner (Germany, liberal ALDE) and her staff for their crucial support in achieving the inclusion of this essential review clause and also MEP Wim van de Camp (Netherlands, centre-right EPP), EPP Co-ordinator for the Transport Committee and Rapporteur of the Committee’s own-initiative report on the implementation of the 2011White Paper. MEP van de Camp also acted as host to the 2015 ECG Dinner Debate last March, and thus obtained a front row view of the sector and its most immediate concerns.

With such strong support from the European Parliament, ECG will continue its long standing efforts to achieve the harmonisation of maximum loaded lengths of car transporters across Europe to at least 20.75mand looks forward to starting the review process as soon as possible.