December 11, 2017
The Belgian government has agreed to extend beyond 2020 the measure to exempt companies which sell their older diesel trucks to invest in more sustainable replacements, from taxes on the surplus value made on the sale. The inner cabinet followed a proposal on this from Minister of Economics Kris Peeters (CD&V). Surplus value The measure […]
December 08, 2017
The American daughter of the worlds biggest brewer AB InBev, headquartered in Belgium, has ordered 40 full electric semi-trucks from Tesla. According to Anheuser Busch, most known for its Budweiser beer, this is the biggest order for full electric trucks so far since Tesla presented them last month. Earlier companies like German package delivery service […]
December 08, 2017
8 mayors have joined thoughts and forces to ask for a roof or a tunnel on part of the Brussels ring road (approximately 15 km). It’s the part that crosses the “Zoniënwoud” wood, declared world heritage by Unesco and in danger because of the pollution of thousands of cars per day crossing right through it. […]
December 07, 2017
According to the latest figures of Vias, the Belgian institute for traffic safety and mobility (formerly called BIVV/IBSR) the death toll on Belgian roads (first three quarters) has lowered from 407 to 363 casualties. Minister Weyts is happy that his latest measures are having results. “These figures show a world of difference with those assembled […]
December 07, 2017
Nineteen cities, among which Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris and London, are asking the EU Commission to issue new standards for lorries used in cities to improve visibility for the driver and protect weak road users like cyclists. Seeing other road users In order to better see the other road users, the cities want the lorries to […]
December 06, 2017
Power stations are no longer the biggest source of CO2-pollution in the United States. They have been overtaken by the sector of transport. It’s the first time in 40 years that the production of energy isn’t the biggest CO2-polluter any more. Power stations aren’t the biggest CO2-source any more in the United States. The whole […]
December 04, 2017
After successful small scale testing, heavy truck platooning convoys should be possible on a daily base by the hundreds by 2020, from the harbour of Rotterdam (Netherlands) to Antwerp (Belgium) and Venlo (Netherlands). With this initiative the Dutch government and some 20 companies want to make the transport more efficient, faster and cleaner. Connected by […]
November 30, 2017
Recently NMBS/SNCB’s new CEO Sophie Dutordoir presented a 5 year investment plan for the Belgian railway company, today she talks about the company’s plan to cut debts and reduce costs while increasing performance, taking into account that public transport is liberalised from 2020 onwards. Dutordoir has also to take into account a reduction in public […]
November 23, 2017
French railroad company SNCF is scrapping its car-trains on all lines, except the ones serving the Mediterranean. The decision was taken because the service is heavily loosing money, some 10 million euro per year. Popular in the seventies The trains, transporting private cars over the rails over large distances, was quite popular in the past, […]
November 23, 2017
Transport companies willing to invest in sustainable technology and road safety can get a 100.000 euro financial leg-up from the Flemish government from this week on. Condition is that the investment goes further than the strict legally obligation. SCR-systems The subsidies – up to 80% of the investment and limited to 100.000 every three years […]
November 21, 2017
The Eurotunnel Group, exploiting the tunnel under the Channel, has renamed itself into ‘Getlink’ to underline its intention “to enter a new era of mobility infrastructure”. On the Euronext stock exchanges of Paris and London, the group keeps its GET code. 20 million passengers The group transports each year some 20 million passengers, 1,6 million […]
November 21, 2017
‘Supertrucks’ with almost double capacity of a normal heavy freight lorry will be allowed on all Flemish highways and a so called ‘basic road network’ from January 1st 2018 on. A decree proposal of Minister of Mobility Ben Weyts (N-VA) is examined by the State’s Council at the moment. Two supertrucks already A first pilot […]
November 17, 2017
Unlike in the rest of Europe, the train is loosing ground in France compared to other modes of transport. In 2016, it only represented 9,2% of all trips in France resulting from a decreasing number of passengers since 2011. 79% of all movements are done by car, sharing included. According to data from the French […]
November 17, 2017
The first highly secured lorry parking has been opened in the East Flanders Kalken. The initiative fits within Europe’s fight against cargo theft and human trafficking. Drivers entering and exiting the permanently camera-controlled domain are subject to an identity check. There is also a number plate verification system. This security is in accordance with the […]
November 17, 2017
After revolutionizing the electric car, Tesla’s flamboyant CEO Elon Musk wants to do the same for heavy transport lorries. Musk himself drove a prototype of the ‘Semi’ on stage in Hawthorn, California, on Thursday, a fully electric 40 ton lorry with a range of 600 to 800 kilometres. Tesla’s Semi is a futuristic looking lorry […]
November 16, 2017
American electric car maker Tesla is to present its long awaited first ‘e-truck’ on Thursday evening with a live video broadcast. The e-truck “will blow your mind clear out of your skull and into an alternate dimension.”, according to Elon Musk on Twitter. But it won’t be the first. There already is competition. “It can […]
November 14, 2017
Seventy per cent of Belgian transport companies is looking for new people to drive their lorries. More than 3.000 vacancies for the job of truck driver remain open. The province of Limburg, where at least 200 vacancies are open, together with Flemish employment agency VDAB are offering free driver training to fill the gap. The […]
November 09, 2017
Towards 2030 CO2-emissions of cars and vans in the EU have to be reduced by 30 %. The actual legislation says 95 g/km for cars and 147 g/km for vans by 2021. The European commission wants an enforced CO2-reduction of 15 % towards 2025 and 30 % towards 2030. A measure that is approved, neither […]
November 08, 2017
French shipping company CMA-CGM decided to equip its future container carriers with a power plant running on liquefied natural gas (LNG) to reduce emissions. Deliveries are planned for 2020. CMA-CGM claims to be “the first maritime shipping company in the world to equip its container carriers with this power plant”. Using LNG as fuel will […]
November 02, 2017
Created in 2013, the Waterbus connecting Vilvoorde to Brussels on the canal, has transported 42.000 passengers this season. It’s 10.000 more than last year. Born from an initiative from the Brussels’ association “Brussels by Water” and the Brabant association “Kanaaltochten Brabant”, the Waterbus service was active for the first time this year all days of […]
October 30, 2017
The Executive Board approved the new 2018-2022 investments plan for Belgian railways SNCB/NMBS. It foresees 3,2 billion euro for commuter transport, train stations and equipment management and maintenance. On Friday, the SNCB/NMBS executive board approved the new power delegation and sub-delegation allowing the CEO Sophie Dutordoir to appoint her own general managers and department heads. […]
October 30, 2017
Philippe De Backer, State Secretary for Social Fraud, but also leader of the Open VLD faction in the Antwerp city council, calls for a kilometre tax for lorries in the inner city of Antwerp for certain critical time slots. Unless they pay a substantial fee. “Circulation plans sound good, but the solution is just there […]
October 26, 2017
Because of the persistent nuisance of cut-through traffic, the kilometer tax for trucks is to be extended to some district roads. This was confirmed by a reliable source to De Morgen. Minister of mobility Ben Weyts (NV-A) is expected to put the proposal up for approval in parliament on Thursday. The kilometer tax for trucks […]
October 26, 2017
On Wednesday East Belgian transport and logistics company Jost Group announced its order of 500 LNG-trucks (Liquified Natural Gas) at the Italian truck and bus maker Iveco. With these 500 Iveco Stralis NPs the transport company wants to convert 35 per cent of its fleet to LNG along with the intention to built up its […]
October 25, 2017
A Walloon TEC bus transports on average 11 passengers and thus emits as much CO2 and NOx as eleven cars. Occupation in TEC buses is too low due in part to the loss of confidence in the availability of the public transport service, according to Walloon deputy Jean-Paul Wahl (MR). “According to the region minister’s […]
October 25, 2017
Without unexpected obstacles, one of Europe’s biggest road construction sites, the Antwerp Oosterweel connection, will start in spring 2018 on the left bank of the river Scheldt (Linkeroever) and Zwijndrecht. A job that will take four and a half years and will cost 386 million euro. The Antwerp Ring will be open for traffic all […]
October 25, 2017
VDL, Holland’s biggest bus, car and lorry builder, announced on Tuesday it received new orders from Belgian logistics group Katoen Natie and German chemical giant BASF for 18 fully autonomous driving lorries. The Antwerp based Katoen Natie will use the 11 new lorries they ordered on its Singapore petrochemical site, where they have already one […]
October 24, 2017
London mayor Sadiq Khan starts his fight against growing air pollution by making every pre-2006 car driving in the city pay a 10 pound (11,21 euro) ‘Toxicity-charge’, officially called ‘Emissions Surcharge’ in addition to the already existing congestion charge. In the near future, every new bus and taxi will have to be hybrid or electric […]
October 24, 2017
The Flemish government agreed on lowering the threshold for refunding road taxes to transport companies that (partly) use waterways or railway instead of sending trucks on the road. The required minimum of 220 transshipment moves (from truck to boat) is lowered to 100. “After an adjustment of the rules, that were so severe hardly any […]
