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The EU regulation, which came into force on 1 July last year for truck trailer manufacturers, stipulates a number of mandatory measures that appear to be unrealistic to implement.

 

Regulation (EU) 2024/1610 also makes CO2 reduction targets binding for trailers. Specifically, semi-trailers must reduce their calculated CO₂ emissions by 10 per cent, while other trailers must reduce theirs by 7.5 per cent. Companies see this as a threat to their existence. This is because penalties could be imposed from 2030 onwards that could increase the purchase price of a trailer by up to 40%.

 

Manufacturers are not complaining about climate protection itself. Rather, they are criticising the methodology behind it. The EU simulation tool VECTO-Trailer is used to determine how many emissions must be reduced in order to achieve the climate target. VECTO stands for Vehicle Energy Consumption Calculation Tool. Penalties in the four-digit range will be imposed. € 4,250 per vehicle and per gram of CO₂ emissions per tonne/kilometre.

 

The companies bringing the action are eight of the leading manufacturers in the trailer sector. Together, they account for over 80 per cent of annual registrations in Germany and more than 70 per cent in Europe. They also claim to have already taken steps to reduce fuel consumption, including the use of lightweight construction, aerodynamics, optimised rolling resistance, steering, lift and e-axles. They claim that the targets set by the regulation are impossible to meet and would ruin manufacturers financially.

 

The German Association of the Automotive Industry supports this proposal. It claims that competitiveness is not the only thing at risk. Rather, the regulation contains a number of loopholes that would prevent reliable assessment. In order to prevent unrealistically high CO₂ targets that cannot be achieved in the fleet, the ECJ must carry out a complete reassessment.