The recent proposal for a directive from the European Commission to promote combined transport , which contemplates a wide range of measures to reduce the cost of door-to-door operations by at least 10% within a period of seven years, has received support almost unanimous of the Spanish and European sectoral organizations. The associations have received the text sent to the European Parliament as “an authentic revolution”, “a unique opportunity that should not be wasted” or “truly surprising”. Only the international road transport association IRU has been very critical of Brussels' position, since it could "harm efficient intermodal cooperation."

“The proposal represents a qualitative and timely leap to address combined transport”
Antonio Pérez Millán President of the Union of Comodal Transport Operators

The only crack that industry organizations observe is that the full effectiveness of the measures put on the table by the Community Executive to promote combined transport requires “fundamental changes” in the proposal for a directive on Weights and Dimensions for vehicles. heavy goods , which the European Parliament's Transport Committee will debate this Thursday, November 16.

“The European Commission's proposal represents a qualitative and timely leap to address the problem of combined transport. It shows greater flexibility and establishes necessary mechanisms to facilitate the increase in intermodality, even opening the door to state aid. However, we miss measures to solve the problem of weights and dimensions,” says the president of the Union of Comodal Transport Operators (UOTC), Antonio Pérez Millán.

The problem is that the proposed Weights and Dimensions directive will raise the maximum authorized mass (MMA) of heavy vehicles from 42 to 44 tons, which will increase their loading capacity. This limitation will also affect the units that make the last mile by road in combined transport, despite the fact that “the tare weight in intermodality is two tons higher than the truck” that makes the entire journey by road, “which clearly penalizes companies in the sector,” adds the president of UOTC.

The associations warn of the loss of attractiveness of the combination if the weights and dimensions are not matched

In Spain, in the new weight and dimensions regulations, the UOTC, integrated into the Association of International Road Transport (Astic), and CETM Multimodal have requested from the Ministry of Raquel Sánchez that "if the truck can carry 44 tons of maximum weight "The intermodal vehicle, which has more weight, can move between 46 and 48 tons depending on the number of axles." Now, to compensate for the difference in tare weight, “we can transport 42 tons instead of the 40 tons on the road,” says Pérez Millán.

“In Europe, Brussels is not arbitrating solutions to resolve this issue. If they leave the proposal at 44 tons, the useful load that a general merchandise container or a chemical or food tanker can move in intermodal will be lower than what a truck will transport, which makes us less competitive. We don't want any advantage; We only demand to be able to transport the same useful weight as the road in intermodal,” concludes the president of UOTC.

The International Union of Combined Rail-Road Transport (UIRR), based in Brussels, expresses itself in similar terms. In fact, it has requested that the proposed Combined Transport directive be considered jointly with the Weights and Dimensions directive and the new Regulation to calculate greenhouse gas emissions in transport and logistics, better known as 'EU Count Emissions'.

“The external advantages of combined transport are explicitly and quantifiably recognized”
Ralf-Charley Schultze President of UIRR

According to the president of the UIRR, Ralf-Charley Schultze, the Weights and Dimensions proposal “borders on protectionism for the transport of low-density cargo in trucks.” In relation to the proposal to promote combined transport, Schultze indicates that it “promises an authentic revolution” since it “recognizes in an explicit and quantifiable way the external advantages (environmental and energy) of combined transport over long-distance truck transport.” He also highlights that "it requires Member States to develop a strategic plan for intermodal transport" with "specific commitments to be achieved in the combined", where "it also includes national operations."

Likewise, the executive director of the Organization of European Railway Enterprises and Infrastructures (CER), Alberto Mazzola, makes “a call on legislators to consider the Combined Transport and Weights and Dimensions directives in a synchronized, coherent and coordinated manner” because “it is essential that rail and road become progressively more interoperable.” Mazzola considers it “a unique opportunity” and demands that “public support for combined transport operations be automatically compatible with EU state aid rules, that is, without the need to notify the subsidies to the European Commission.” ”. This provision “would significantly speed up the process and boost the market by making state aid accessible three years earlier compared to the current average.”

Along the same lines, the European freight forwarding association Clecat “welcomes the new proposal” and describes it as “a good starting point” to promote the use of combined transport. However, he indicates in a statement, the objective of reducing operating costs by 10% in seven years "is interesting", but "not ambitious enough."

IRU: “FACE DIFFERENT MODES AND ESTABLISH ARTIFICIAL HIERARCHIES”
As a counterpoint to the unanimous and unwavering support of these organizations, the international road transport association IRU flatly rejects the proposal prepared by the Community Executive to promote combined transport. “We are not convinced that linking incentives to the aggregate based on external cost performance of road freight operations is the right approach,” says IRU EU Director Raluca Marian.

“Linking incentives to the combination based on the external costs of the truck is not correct”
Raluca Marian Director of the IRU in the EU

In his opinion, the commission chaired by von der Leyen "does not clarify what will be considered an external cost or how it will be calculated", and leaves the framework for quantifying externalities "to an act of execution" without contemplating "the initiative of the ' EU Count Emissions'” and including “a vague reference to the European Commission's External Costs Manual.” The IRU also does not agree that the mandatory use of digital platforms, within the regulation on electronic information relating to the transport of goods (known as 'eFTI'), is “a condition to benefit from the incentives”. According to the representative of the organization, “eFTI has only just begun” and “if there are no further delays, its full application will not occur until mid-2026.”

“In real life, it is about achieving efficient transportation through cooperation and complementarity between modes. This is what legislators should take into account when establishing standards, instead of pitting different modes against each other and establishing artificial hierarchies disconnected from everyday reality. Better cooperation between the different modes is necessary and we need a modern legal framework in the EU that allows this,” adds Raluca Marian. “Additional complexity and legal uncertainty might not convince road hauliers to use combined and intermodal transport more and the proposal could therefore lose its objective of decarbonizing freight transport and logistics,” he concludes.