Road Transport - Activities

The core responsibility of the ITF Group on road Transport is to deal with the issues regarding the Multilateral Quota System. It also deals with the regional aspects of road transport, according to its work programme.

Multilateral Quota

In 2012 the Group continues its regular work on the management of the Multilateral Quota of freight transport licences. It oversees distribution of licences by the Member countries (see also Licences) and monitors compliance with the rules of Quota functioning. The latest Guide on the ECMT Multilateral Quota 2009 (see also Russian + Corrigendum) entered in force on 1 January 2009.  The Guide briefly describes the main aims of the Multilateral Quota System and outlines the rules of its operation.  It features the model certificates: Certificate of Compliance with Technical Provisions Concerning Exhaust and Noise Emissions and Safety Requirements for EURO III safe, EURO IV safe or EURO V safe Motor Vehicle( cf. Annex 4 ), Certificate of Safety for a Trailer (cf. Annex 5) and Certificate of Roadworthiness Test for Motor Vehicles and Trailers (cf. Annex 6). A new edition of the Guide is foreseen for 1 January 2014, following the introduction of the  EURO VI vehicle category into the system. The new model Certificate of Compliance with Technical Provisions  Concerning Exhaust and Noise Emissions and Safety Requirements for EURO IV safe, EURO V safe, EEV safe or EURO VI safe Motor Vehicle, to be included in the revised Guide, was approved by the Group on Road Transport on 12 October 2012.  The certificate entered into force on 1 December 2012.  As mandated by Ministers, the Group is also studying options for the future development of the Multilateral Quota System and its restructuring with a view to adopting a new distribution of the Multilateral Quota of licences to Member Countries from 2013 and onwards. The Group is also developing a long-term strategic vision, based on the 2005 agreed guidelines, as well as earlier statements, made by Ministers. With this aim, the Group supervised preparation of the Report on European Road Freight Transport Markets and ECMT Multilateral Quota Perspectives (ProgTrans AG, 2009). The report on The Construction and Operation of the Road Freight Transport Market in Europe, prepared by Professor Maurice Bernadet (2009) also provides a reference point to the work of the Group in this direction. The Report on the Development of the Multilateral Quota System, prepared by the High Level Group under chairmanship of Professor Brian Bayliss (2011) provides further recommendations on improving and developing the Quota system in a mid and long term perspective.

Qualitative Development of the System

In line with the recommendations made in the High Level Group report the Group on Road Transport pursues the work on qualitative and quantitative development of the System.  With this sin view the Group with the help of a dedicated Sub-Group is working on the development of a Quality Charter for international road haulage operations under the ECMT Multilateral Quota System.  The Charter focuses on four specific areas:

Admission to the occupation Driving and rest times Categorisation of infringements Driver training

The aim is to promote the highest quality transport in all ECMT countries, including on a social level, as one of the main pillars of the Multilateral Quota System development.  The work is supported by EC and IRU. In parallel, the Group is developing provisions to facilitate intermodal transport operations within the Multilateral Quota System, as well as pursuing its scheme of green and safe lorries, in order to respond to the concerns over environmental sustainability of transport.

Publications

The Group in cooperation with IRU updated a joint publication on Truck Parking Areas 2009 and contributed to the development of the online facility TRANSPark. Information on Permissible Weights and Dimensions of Trucks and Coaches in Europe is available online and is being updated regularly. The online publication Road Transport Regulating and Enforcement Bodies was last published in September 2011.

Events

The Group in cooperation with IMTT (Inland Transport Authority) of the Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Communications of Portugal organised the Joint ITF/IMTT Seminar on Innovation in Road Transport: Opportunities for Improving Efficiency, held in Lisbon on 2 October 2009. The Group also contributed to the preparation of the Seminar on Overcoming Border Crossing Obstacles, organised jointly with the UNECE and the World Bank on 5-6 March 2009 in Paris.