Brussels, 25/01/2012 (Agence Europe) - Road hauliers are very pessimistic about their future, according to a study published on 25 January by Goodyear Dunlop, one of the biggest tyre manufacturers in the world. One in seven road hauliers are afraid of going bankrupt over the next eight years unless “drastic” measures are taken to improve fleet fuel efficiency. One third of road freight companies do not yet have a strategy in place for providing a practical response to legislation on greenhouse gases which is currently being implemented throughout the Union. As recommended in the transport White Paper published in 2011, this legislation is due to become even tighter. Goodyear Dunlop also organised an event on the subject in Brussels on 25 January. In his opening speech at the conference, European Commissioner for Transport Siim Kallas reiterated his determination to reduce petrol consumption in road transport. He provided assurances that the next European budget would include more money for research and development in transport, and that funding in this domain would focus on innovation in fuel efficiency - “fuel is the watchword for R&D strategy in transport”.
He added that savings needed to be made with fuel and it needed to be made cleaner. This kind of funding could help to reassure road hauliers, but Goodyear Dunlop is above all asking European decision-makers to adjust legislation on the weight and dimension of vehicles, to make the Tyre Pressure Monitoring System compulsory, and to create incentives that will drive aerodynamic improvements. (MD/transl.fl)