The problems faced across Europe by abnormal road transport operators was the subject of the first of a series of meetings between ESTA and the IRU – the international road transport industry association – in Brussels on May 15.
Those attending were ESTA Director Ton Klijn, Transport Section Vice-President Iffet Türken, Marc Billiet, who leads the IRU’s work on road freight transport and environmental affairs in Europe, and IRU General Delegate Matthias Maedge who heads the work of the IRU’s Brussels office.
Subjects discussed included the need to harmonize marking and lighting regulations for abnormal loads across Europe and ESTA’s previous work on a best practice guide for abnormal transports.
The meeting also discussed ESTA’s call for a network of heavy transport road corridors across Europe and whether such a policy could be coordinated with recent similar calls from NATO on behalf of Europe’s armed forces.
ESTA Director Ton Klijn said: “It was a very good and productive meeting and we welcomed the opportunity to set out the particular issues faced by our members across Europe.”
ESTA joined the IRU last year as an affiliate member in a move to increase the organisation’s profile and influence with the European Commission and international road transport authorities. The IRU will support ESTA in pushing forward the concerns of abnormal road transport onto the Brussels agenda.