Tyre manufacturer Goodyear believes that regulatory bodies have an important role to play in driving the road transport industry forward.
In a white paper, it expressed the opinions of 576 fleet operators across Europe, including the UK, Belgium, France and Germany.
The report, Mobility of the Future, found operators believe that governing bodies need to think carefully about introducing new measures for the transport industry.
It says that the road freight industry is made up of many ‘interrelated parts’ and that efficiency and profitability does not depend solely on one or two major issues, as any change has a knock-on effect on other measures.
Freight operators, however, are embracing the need to reduce fuel consumption, and broadly agree with the European Union’s agenda to tackle carbon emissions.
The survey found that 53% of operators saying they prefer environmentally friendly fleets. However, 11% admitted that the impact of regulations is one of the biggest challenges facing the industry, and 40% said that the rising cost of fuel is their biggest concern.
Another area of concern for operators are the proposed reforms to the weight and dimensions regulation, with many saying that the current restrictions are outdated and threatened fleets’ abilities to reach sustainability targets.
Michael Rzonzef, Vice President for Commercial Tyres for Goodyear EMEA, said, “Our research shows that fleets want to see clarity around regulation of industry and to see a regulatory regime that is harmonised across the EU. And fleets want to see their efforts to meet the challenges of the environmental agenda rewarded.”
