Skip to main content

EU cooperation using ‘intelligent transport’ can cut CO2, says IRU

Decarbonisation of commercial road transport and logistics should be linked to safety improvements and efficiency gains if the ambitious EU CO2 emissions reduction targets are to be met, according to a major new report on the future of commercial road transport in the EU, published by world transport organisation IRU. The report, Commercial Vehicle of the Future, claims measures to decarbonise road freight transport could provide new opportunities to further improve road safety and optimise operational e
February 17, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Decarbonisation of commercial road transport and logistics should be linked to safety improvements and efficiency gains if the ambitious EU CO2 emissions reduction targets are to be met, according to a major new report on the future of commercial road transport in the EU, published by world transport organisation IRU.

The report, Commercial Vehicle of the Future, claims measures to decarbonise road freight transport could provide new opportunities to further improve road safety and optimise operational efficiency as the industry attempts to meet the challenging but achievable environmental targets.

By adopting a holistic approach to the sector a unique forward-looking vision on the future of road freight transport and logistics has been created. The report aims to take stock of how evolving technologies and trends could shape the use of commercial vehicles in the future, and how these measures might have positive cross-over benefits for improving road safety and operational efficiency.

According to Marc Billiet, who leads IRU’s work on road freight transport and environmental affairs in Europe, the road freight transport and logistics industry is well under way to meet its voluntary commitment to reduce CO2 emissions by 30 per cent by 2030. However, he believes it will be very difficult to reach these targets without close cooperation with partners in the public and private sector such as the European Institutions, national governments, vehicle and component manufacturers, fuel producers, ITS providers, clients and NGOs.

Related Content

  • March 31, 2023
    Asecap prepares for ‘interoperability on steroids’
    The gathering of Europe’s toll professionals offers a chance for views to be exchanged by senior people on a number of big issues: and there’s currently an awful lot to think about, reports Geoff Hadwick
  • February 10, 2014
    European cooperative logistics solutions project launched
    Ertico, together with 33 partners, has today launched the EU funded Co-Gistics project, a deployment activity that will unite logistics with cooperative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS). This is the first time that a European project has been fully dedicated to deployment of cooperative services applied to logistics. to be piloted in seven of Europe’s leading logistics centres, Arad, Bordeaux, Bilbao, Frankfurt, Thessaloniki, Trieste and Vigo, Co-Gistics will target the needs of the freight indust
  • July 31, 2012
    Future of US cooperative infrastructure networks
    Peter H. Appel, the new Administrator of the USDOT's Research and Innovative Technology Administration, on his vision of the US's future cooperative infrastructure networks. Peter H. Appel comes to the post of Administrator of the US Department of Transportation's Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) from a background in transportation-related work which stretches back over 20 years. Most recently with management consultancy A. T. Kearney, Inc., where he focused on busin
  • November 6, 2018
    We don’t understand ITS, say transport companies: new IRU report
    Half of transport companies say that ITS adoption is being held back by a “limited understanding of the range of emerging technologies available”, according to a new global survey. The sobering finding – which indicates that ITS providers and policy makers have more to do to explain some of the benefits – comes from the IRU’s ‘The future of road transport’ report. The other major barrier to adopting technology is cost, say 71% of respondents. The IRU says: “This suggests that pockets of the industry have