A recent draft directive by the European Commission aims to put more extra-long and extra-heavy lorries (“Gigaliners”) on the road. The reasons given for revising the existing rules range from a shortage of drivers to improving road safety and environmental protection; the proposal is part of a legislative package on green freight transport presented in early July.

From  AK’s point of view, the arguments put forward are untenable. The consequence of facilitating the admission of Gigaliners would probably rather be a further shift of freight transport from rail to road. This would not only run counter to the objectives of the Green Deal, but would also jeopardise road safety. At the same time, the investment needed to adapt and repair the infrastructure would be huge. Gigaliners also represent a deterioration from the workers' perspective, as the pressure on drivers would increase even further.