Skip to main content

MEPs demand truck tolls to curb CO2 emissions

Fourteen MEPs have signed a letter to EU Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc demanding the European Commission propose legislation to impose new tolls on trucks, according to Euractiv. The Commission's Energy Union plans announced earlier this year dropped truck tolls laid out in earlier versions. There is currently no CO2 standard for trucks in Europe, although car and van CO2 emissions are limited. European Commission data shows trucks contributing one quarter of CO2 emissions from road transport in
November 20, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
Fourteen MEPs have signed a letter to EU Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc demanding the European Commission propose legislation to impose new tolls on trucks, according to Euractiv.

The Commission's Energy Union plans announced earlier this year dropped truck tolls laid out in earlier versions.

There is currently no CO2 standard for trucks in Europe, although car and van CO2 emissions are limited. European Commission data shows trucks contributing one quarter of CO2 emissions from road transport in the EU, although campaigners estimate the figure to be higher.

The MEPs called for an amendment to the Eurovignette directive to scrap time-based charges and draft legislation that moves towards “full and mandatory internalisation of external costs and that enables the differentiation of tolls based on the energy efficiency of CO2 emissions of trucks.”

The Commission is expected to present new legislation on road transport next year. The MEPs asked Bulc to include new toll legislation for trucks in that proposal.

Related Content

  • Distance-based lorry charging should be compulsory in budget, says Campaigners
    November 20, 2017
    Following UK government figures which revealed that only 34% of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) are fully loaded by volume, and 30% are travelling around empty, the Campaign for Better Transport (CfBT) is calling for distance based lorry charging systems to be made compulsory. The campaigners stated that the technology can determine the impact of lorries on roads and force the road haulage industry to be more efficient and reduce lorry miles. CfBT added that and it should be included in the HGV VED and Road Use
  • Ukraine turns to ITS to cope with traffic increases
    June 9, 2015
    With increasing road fatalities the Ukrainian government is planning to introduce ITS technology in 2016-2017. Eugene Gerden finds out more. The government of Ukraine is considering a massive introduction of ITS in the national system of traffic during the period 2016-2017, according to a recent statement by the Ukrainian Ministry of Transport. According to the Ukrainian government, implementation of the project is an acute need, as in recent years the number of road accidents in Ukraine has significantly
  • eCall mandatory in cars from 2015
    June 14, 2013
    The European Commission has adopted two proposals to ensure that, from October 2015, all new models of passenger cars and light duty vehicles will have to be fitted with 112 eCall, enabling them to automatically call emergency services in case of a serious crash. eCall is activated automatically as soon as in-vehicle sensors detect a serious crash. Once set off, the system dials the European emergency number 112, establishes a telephone link to the appropriate emergency call centre and sends details of the
  • Improving the positional accuracy of GNSS road user charging
    July 23, 2012
    The European GINA project is intended to address and overcome many of the institutional, technical and public acceptance hurdles currently faced by satellite-based road user charging schemes. Dave Tindall and Denis Naberezhnykh, TRL, and Laure Dezes, ERF, write. Pay-as-you-drive Road User Charging (RUC), whereby demand (or congestion) is managed by applying appropriate tariffs in order to encourage drivers to make their journeys at less busy times, on less congested routes or even on different modes, could