EU Regulation on CO2 Reduction for Truck Trailers – Opportunities and Risks for the Transport Industry
Since July 1, 2024, a new binding EU regulation on reducing CO₂ emissions for heavy-duty vehicles has been in effect – for the first time with clear requirements for truck trailers and semi-trailers. Regulation (EU) 2024/1610 obliges manufacturers of trailer units to reduce their CO₂ emissions by at least 10 percent in calculation. For other trailers, the requirement is 7.5 percent.
This regulation is part of the EU’s strategy to combat climate change in the transport sector and includes rolling reduction targets until 2030, 2035, and 2040. The calculation of CO₂ savings is done via the simulation tool VECTO-Trailer, with which various technical measures on trailers can be simulated for their effect during operation. From 2030, manufacturers face significant fines for not meeting the targets – up to 4,250 euros per vehicle and gram of CO₂ per ton-kilometer.
Focus on EU Regulation (EU) 2024/1610
The regulation is the first of its kind to include trailers and semi-trailers in CO₂ regulations for heavy-duty vehicles. Since neither semi-trailers nor trailers have engines or exhaust systems, the calculation of emissions is indirect via their influence on the overall consumption of the tractor unit.
- Binding CO₂ reduction targets: 10 % for trailer units, 7.5 % for other trailers starting from 2024
- Fines from 2030 for missing targets with significant penalty payments
- Basis of calculation: EU-wide simulation tool VECTO-Trailer
The regulation was published in the Official Journal of the EU on May 14, 2024, and came into force on June 26, 2024, with effect from July 1, 2024. According to an Official Journal entry, the regulation includes the area of city buses, which also have to meet stricter CO₂ targets.
Impact on the Transport Industry
The introduction of strict CO₂ limits for trailers and semi-trailers follows the goal of significantly reducing CO₂ emissions in freight transport and promoting more sustainable transport solutions. At the same time, the regulation has far-reaching consequences:
- Price increases for trailers: Potential penalty payments could increase trailer prices by up to 40 %, making investments more difficult and worsening the market situation for many medium-sized manufacturers.
- Technical challenges: To meet the requirements, trailers must be lighter and more aerodynamic. This could lead to reduced cargo volume, as lightweight construction often comes with reduced stability or changed dimensions.
- Economic risks: Manufacturers and suppliers warn of massive cost increases, which could make European production less competitive, with possible plant closures, especially for medium-sized businesses.
- Job risks: The industry sees up to 70,000 jobs in danger – this affects not only production but also suppliers and service providers in the transport chain.
- Transport efficiency: Critics fear that reduced cargo volume and more empty runs could mean more trucks on the road – which goes against the climate goal.
Simulation vs. Reality: Criticism of the VECTO-Trailer Tool
The biggest criticism is the methodology of CO₂ calculation with the tool VECTO-Trailer (Vehicle Energy Consumption Calculation Tool). This tool simulates the energy consumption of tractor-trailer combinations including trailers based on technical parameters such as weight, aerodynamics, and rolling resistance.
Manufacturers complain:
- The simulation does not capture practical transport conditions and logistics restrictions, such as reduced cargo volume due to lightweight construction or changed trailer heights.
- Theoretical savings could be offset in reality by more empty runs and additional trips, leading to an increase in total emissions.
- There is a lack of a holistic view of the transport chain and real economic viability in fleet operations.
- Companies therefore describe the regulation as impractical and economically disproportionate.
Figures and Facts about the Industry
- According to data from Austria, around 4,500-5,000 trailers and semi-trailers were newly registered per year in the reference period.
- The overall market for heavy-duty vehicles has tens of thousands of new registrations per year, with the share of emission-free or electrified vehicles currently still in the single-digit percentage range.
- Forecasts suggest that the CO₂ reduction targets for 2030 and beyond will require a deep transformation of the entire heavy-duty vehicle fleet, including alternative powertrains and optimized logistics.
Legal Actions by the Industry
Eight leading medium-sized manufacturers of truck trailers have filed a lawsuit against key articles of EU Regulation 2024/1610 with the European Court of Justice. The lawsuit argues that the regulation:
- does not adequately consider the economic impact,
- does not contain practical and realistic solutions for CO₂ emissions from trailers,
- and will long-term lead to job losses and relocation of production abroad.
The court has so far rejected a preliminary injunction with the reasoning that there is a lack of individual impact.
Conclusion
EU Regulation (EU) 2024/1610 sets an important impulse for the decarbonization of heavy freight transport and focuses for the first time on an area that has been hardly regulated before. The ambitious CO₂ targets are intended to help achieve the EU’s climate goals in the transport sector.
Nevertheless, the practical feasibility and methodology of the regulation are heavily criticized. Manufacturers warn of negative consequences for industry, employment, and transport efficiency. It remains to be seen how politics, industry, and the judiciary will deal with these challenges in the future and whether the regulation will be revised or adjusted.
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