France has asked the European Commission to temporarily relax European fuel-quality specifications in an effort to increase refinery output and ease pressure on diesel supplies. The proposal could help place more diesel on the European market, potentially benefiting Irish hauliers facing exceptionally high fuel costs. However, Brussels has not approved...
Irish hauliers carrying food and agricultural products between Ireland and Britain could benefit from fewer border checks and simpler certification under a proposed UK–EU agreement. However, operators still need clarity on when the changes will take effect and how they will work on individual routes. The second UK–EU summit will...
Senior European road-safety representatives have met in Dublin to examine how Member States can accelerate progress towards safer roads, with infrastructure investment, funding and stronger national delivery at the centre of discussions. The EU High Level Group on Road Safety meeting brought together the European Commission and senior representatives from...
Budget 2027 has delivered some welcome breathing space for Irish hauliers, but it has also left a much bigger question unanswered: why has Ireland not used the European Union’s temporary fuel-aid framework to provide more substantial, cost-based support to road transport operators? The Budget measures include an additional two months...
rish hauliers, fleet operators and workshop teams have every reason to head to the RDS Simmonscourt, Dublin, this weekend, as the CV Workshop EXPO, Auto Trade EXPO and 271 Truck & Trailer EXPO bring the industry together on Saturday and Sunday, 10–11 October. From the parts and equipment that keep...
Ireland’s freight and logistics sector is showing growing signs of investment caution, with more than one in five fleet operators planning no capital expenditure over the coming year, according to new research from FTA Ireland. The findings, published in the FTAI 2026 Manager’s Guide to Distribution Costs Ireland, paint a...
Hauliers cannot finance the switch to zero-emission trucks while waiting for overdue payments and struggling to access suitable charging infrastructure. That is the message from the International Road Transport Union (IRU), which is calling for a maximum 30-day payment period for road transport services and clearer EU rules allowing operators...
Irish hauliers operating on the Continent need to review their toll budgets as changes introduced during 2026 feed into another round of charges in 2027. The Netherlands has replaced its Eurovignette with distance-based charging, Flanders has introduced a CO₂ surcharge, and Germany has tightened vehicle classification thresholds. The financial impact...
Budget 2027 has delivered some welcome short-term relief for Ireland’s haulage, passenger transport and logistics operators, but significant questions remain over the sector’s longer-term competitiveness and the cost of decarisation, according to FTA Ireland. The organisation has welcomed a number of measures announced in Budget 2027, including the temporary deferral...
Irish hauliers need clear answers on how the extension of the Road Transporters Support Scheme (RTSS) will operate following its announcement in Budget 2027. While the commitment to additional support offers welcome relief, important details remain up in the air, including individual payment amounts, application requirements and when operators will...
European regulators are moving closer to introducing new rules governing truck and bus tyre abrasion, potentially changing how commercial vehicle tyres are tested, developed and ultimately selected by haulage operators. The UNECE Tyre Abrasion Task Force meets in Brussels on 8–9 October, with one of its key objectives being to...
Irish hauliers serving the north-west have moved a step closer to improved road connections after the Court of Appeal in Belfast overturned the ruling that blocked the A5 Western Transport Corridor upgrade. The judgment, delivered on Tuesday, 6 October, clears a major legal obstacle to the long-delayed project, which has...
Ireland’s direct freight connections with continental Europe have been formally placed at the heart of the European Union’s latest Atlantic Corridor strategy, strengthening the case for further investment in ports, road links and freight infrastructure. The European Commission has published its first Atlantic European Transport Corridor Work Plan under the...
The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) has welcomed a number of measures set out in Budget 2027, which the association says it had campaigned for. Those measures include a continuation of the diesel rebate scheme until the end of 2026 with continued review, an extra two month payment to hauliers...