Heavy transport industry dismay over reported SERT setback

The European Association of Abnormal Road Transport and Mobile Cranes (ESTA) has criticised the apparent exclusion of a common truck and trailer registration system from revised EU rules, warning of continued cross-border bureaucracy. ESTA has expressed ‘disappointment’ to reports that the Special European Registration for Trucks and Trailers (SERT) is set to be dropped from the revised Weights and Dimensions Directive during final negotiations in Brussels.

Championed by ESTA and the wider heavy transport industry for many years, SERT would introduce a standard European document recording the technical specifications of trucks and trailers. Operators could use the same documentation across participating countries rather than repeatedly supplying vehicle information to different national authorities.

Individual countries currently have their own documentation requirements, creating administrative work and the potential for differing interpretations of vehicle specifications. ESTA argues that a common registration document would make cross-border abnormal load movements simpler, faster and more cost-effective.

It had been widely expected that SERT would be a core part of the W&D directive, following an agreement reached by the EU’s council of transport ministers last December.

This story was originally published by Project Cargo Journal. Read the full story at Project Cargo Journal →