Flemish government wants to definitively allow supertrucks on motorways
Flemish Mobility Minister Annick De Ridder (N-VA) wants to allow so-called supertrucks on Flemish motorways within two years. So write De Standaard and the other Media House newspapers on Thursday.
Opponents call them monster trucks, supporters talk about ecocombis and officially they are called Longer and Heavier Truck Combination (LZV): trucks up to 25.25 metres long and weighing up to 60 tonnes. The Flemish government allowed them only sparsely through a series of pilot projects and on strictly defined routes, such as in the port of Antwerp. Now the Diependaele government no longer hesitates.
In its policy note, Flemish Mobility Minister De Ridder announces that the government will permanently “perpetuate” LZVs. This would happen at the latest by 30 June 2026, when the last pilot project ends. Although the government notes that it will do “everything possible to go faster”.
The approval comes on condition that some strict rules are observed. For example, the LHVs may only drive on certain routes where there are few cyclists and pedestrians and no difficult intersections. They are also not allowed to transport live animals or dangerous substances.
Wallonia
In Wallonia, a pilot project with an annual evaluation has been running since 2017. This will continue until 30 September 2025. “The Flemish decision will not speed things up, but we are keeping an eye on developments in the north of the country,” said Thomas Fyon, spokesman for Walloon Mobility Minister François Desquesnes (Les Engagés).
Brussels may be the game-changer, as no projects have been launched there yet. That makes a smooth flow of goods transport difficult. Indeed, part of the Brussels Ring Road lies on the territory of the Brussels Capital Region.
“We hope the Brussels government will allow those vehicles on the small pieces of Ring Road that belong to it,” said Isabelle De Maegt, spokeswoman for transport federation Febetra. “That would be an important step in connecting Flanders and Wallonia.” De Maegt also stresses the benefits: LHVs would reduce the number of freight trucks and reduce emissions per tonnage.
In Belgium, the transport sector is the biggest emitter (23.4 per cent of total emissions in 2022). Transporting goods by road leads to the vast majority (98.1 per cent) of the transport sector’s total emissions (2019 figures). (Belga)
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