by Walther Ploos van Amstel
As e-commerce continues to reshape urban life, city streets are under growing pressure. Every online order ends with a delivery truck searching for somewhere to stop. A new study published in Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives offers a rare look at that moment from the driver’s seat. Researchers from Oregon State University and the University of …
Europe’s transition to zero-emission trucks (ZETs) has reached a decisive phase. While EU CO₂ standards for heavy-duty vehicles are among the most ambitious globally, the pace of real-world deployment still lags what is needed to meet the 2030 target of roughly 35% zero-emission truck sales. The Smart Freight Centre report, with contributions from ACEA and …
London is showing that safer trucks save lives. New data released during Road Safety Week confirms that the city’s Direct Vision Standard (DVS) for heavy goods vehicles is driving a dramatic improvement in safety for vulnerable road users. Since DVS was introduced in 2019, deaths and serious injuries involving pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists in collisions …
A new Europe-wide survey commissioned by Geotab reveals a troubling picture of rising stress levels and road safety concerns among commercial vehicle drivers. The survey, titled “The Unseen Toll: Driver Stress and Road Safety,” gathered insights from 3,501 truck and van drivers across seven European countries and paints a clear warning: driver stress is on …
In mid-2026, the Netherlands will implement a truck toll system for all motorways, several national roads (N-roads), and certain local roads near major cities. The toll will affect all trucks over 3.5 tons, regardless of whether they have a Dutch or foreign license plate. A key part of this policy is the revenue recycling scheme, …
Heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) are the second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector and the leading contributors to air pollutants like particulate matter and nitrogen oxide. As zero-emission HDV technology matures, supply-side regulations (SSRs) have emerged as a key policy tool to mitigate climate and air quality impacts. A recent ICCT research brief …
According to ING Bank, European road haulage is slightly picking up after a serious downturn. Economic stagnation – especially in Germany – will, however, limit growth in transport volumes and investment in trucks and trailers in 2025. Cost control is key, and the importance of sustainability is rising. Attracting drivers could once again prove a …
The Direct Vision Standard (DVS) and HGV safety permit scheme for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) require operators of lorries over 12 tonnes of gross vehicle weight to obtain a safety permit before entering and operating in most of Greater London. If you hold an existing HGV safety permit for a zero, one, or two-star rated …
New research by lobby group Transport and Environment debunks carmakers’ claims that Euro 7 standards won’t significantly improve the quality. The truck industry organization ACEA says: ‘Significant progress has been made in the EU on reducing air pollution from vehicles, under the current Euro 6/VI standards. Euro 7 is unlikely to make much more of …
Data from 2018 to 2020 showed HGVs were involved in nearly half of the fatal collisions involving people cycling and 19 percent involving people walking. TfL wants to further improve the safety standards of HGVs operating in Greater London, reducing the risks to vulnerable road users such as people walking and cycling. In 2019, when the first phase of …