Spain gives green light to 44-tonne trucks, further weakening competition with rail 30/07/25
< ZurückSpain gives green light to 44-tonne trucks, further weakening competition with rail
The Spanish government has approved the circulation of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) up to 44 tonnes. “This is bad news for the sector that will have repercussions on the rail quota”, President of the Spanish Association of Private Railway Companies (AEFP) Juan Diego Pedrero told RailFreight.com. On the other hand, the Association of Manufacturers and Distributors (AECOC) claimed that this is a “firm step towards more efficient, sustainable logistics, fully aligned with European standards.”
The green light to 44-tonners was included in a package authorising the circulation of mega-trucks without prior authorization and with limits extended to 72 tons and 32 meters in length. This will “make road transport cheaper as the Spanish Ministry of Transport has not considered making it mandatory for customers to formulate prices in €/tonne”, Pedrero stated.
‘Detrimental to the sector’
The increase in the maximum authorised weight from 40 to 44 tonnes may present significant challenges for the already stagnant rail freight sector (5% modal share), especially in terms of interoperability. First and foremost, the Spanish ministry of internal affairs said that, for intermodal services, the permitted increase will be to 42 tonnes rather than 44. These initiatives are detrimental to the rail freight sector, according to Pedrero.
It is safe to assume that the extra room and weight will be used for more cargo (hence bigger trailers), especially since the EU’s Weights and Dimensions Directive will not state otherwise. The disparity in allowed tonnes between trucks and intermodal services will completely eliminate the possibility of putting many of those bigger trailers on freight trains for intermodal connections. “We from AEFP are requesting that intermodal rail transport be authorized at 46 tons to have a competitive margin with the road”, Pedrero underlined.
Shippers are happy
AECOC, on the other hand, remained much more positive and does not necessarily see negative interferences with rail services. “In the field of intermodal transport, the impact of this measure is particularly significant. Spain thus joins countries like France, Italy, Germany, and Belgium, where 44 tons in intermodal transport have been a reality for years”, a representative from AECOC told RailFreight.com. Rather, the associations consider this measure as a “catalyst for intermodal transport”.