The European association for abnormal road transport and mobile cranes (ESTA) is optimistic that regulations to harmonise heavy transport will be contained in the EU’s revised Weights and Dimensions Directive.
The proposed revisions to directive 96/53/EC gained the European Parliament’s approval and entered a consultation phase with the Council of Ministers. The revisions seek to harmonise the intricate and varied rules governing abnormal transport across the EU. It includes a provision urging member states to cooperate to “avoid the multiplicity of vehicle markings and signalling.”
Additionally, it proposes that the European Commission be tasked with ensuring the implementation of these unified regulations.
ESTA remains hopeful that these new regulations to standardise marking and lighting on heavy transport vehicles will be included in the forthcoming directive revision.
Iffet Türken, ESTA section transport president and executive board member of Kässbohrer, a prominent trailer manufacturer, has been at the forefront of this campaign. “This is very good news indeed and shows that we are slowly and steadily making progress, even though it is taking far longer than we would like,” Türken said.
She criticised the current situation, describing it as “absolutely ridiculous,” citing the inconsistencies in marking and lighting regulations across EU countries. “Why is a side marking board in one country 50 cm x 50 cm and in another country 42.5 cm x 42.5 cm? ESTA is simply trying to introduce some unity and common sense here,” Türken added.
ESTA has been campaigning for these changes for over five years, spearheaded by a specialised working group within the association. This group developed comprehensive recommendations, gaining Verband der Automobilindustrie (VDA) support. In 2023, ESTA stepped up its lobbying of authorities in Brussels to persuade them to strengthen the proposed revision.
These proposals were initially presented to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) committee, which oversees international traffic regulations. However, progress was stalled due to the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The working group that drove this campaign included key figures from the industry, such as Tahsin Dogan of Kässbohrer, André Friderici of Switzerland-based Friderici Spécial, Lars Schoedt of TII-Scheuerle and Ambro Smit from the Netherlands’ transport association TLN.
