Thirty of Europe’s leading trailer manufacturers have put aside commercial rivalries to demand an urgent review of EU CO2 regulations which they warn could actually increase emissions.
The companies signed a joint declaration and petition at a meeting in Belgium, calling on the European Commission and European Parliament to amend Regulation (EU) 2024/1610.
The manufacturers support the EU’s climate goals but argue that the VECTO methodology used to calculate trailer CO2 performance fails to reflect real-world transport operations.
Although trailers produce no emissions directly, manufacturers are held responsible for simulated emissions based on standardised reference loads and duty cycles.
The signatories warn that meeting the targets could force manufacturers to make design changes that reduce usable payload capacity, resulting in more journeys and vehicles being required to move the same amount of freight.
From 2030, manufacturers face penalties of €4,250 per gCO2/tkm above target, multiplied by the number of vehicles registered.
Further information:
https://www.commercialmotor.com/news/article/trailer-makers-unite-against-eu-co2-rules