To stay competitive and ensure the safe delivery of goods, Europe’s chemical industry depends on efficient, sustainable and reliable transport operations. Against this backdrop, Cefic calls for urgent regulatory action to optimise vehicle utilisation, enable smooth operations, and accelerate emissions reductions as trilogue negotiations on the revision of the Weights and Dimensions Directive advance.
As co-legislators work toward a compromise, Cefic welcomes the proposal’s overall ambition to reduce burdens on road operators, strengthen the EU single market, and incentivise emission reductions.
To ensure the Directive can fulfill its goals, Cefic urges policymakers to re‑evaluate the current provisions on zero‑emission vehicles to include alternative technologies and fuels, and to address cross-border issues that hinder efficiency. Smooth operations and technology-neutral incentives for lower-emission solutions are key.
To this end, Cefic calls for:
- Allowance of higher maximum weights for intermodal transport operations compared to road-only transport to encourage modal shift.
- Incentivisation of the use of alternative fuels and technologies – i.e. compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), electrofuels (e-fuels) and biofuels.
- Member States to authorise cross-border transport operations involving heavier, longer, or taller vehicles when these configurations are already permitted in their neighbouring countries’ in national traffic.
- Harmonised implementation of the electronic Freight Transport Information (eFTI) Platforms.
Cefic stands ready to support policymakers in delivering a future‑proof Directive that ensures efficiency, competitiveness, and meaningful emissions reductions for Europe’s freight transport system.