ERA publishes road circulation requirements study

The European Rental Association (ERA) has published a study on the consequences of the differences in national legislation on safe road circulation of mobile machinery.

The study was carried out by research company Ecorys, which the ERA commissioned to conduct, and the results found that the absence of harmonisation of road regulation rules created difficulties on various levels. This included manufacturers, dealers, downstream users and citizens, and as a result, the industry is hit with significant additional financial and logistical issues.

In summary, the consequences of non-harmonised rules are reflected in road approval procedure costs, high compliance costs related to the lack of harmonized rules and road safety requirements, which are considered below standard.

The study has calculated that the non-harmonised requirements result in a direct cost for the industry of €90 million on an annual basis of which type approval and third party testing takes up the largest part. It is also expected that these costs would increase over the coming years due to more specific national requirements.

Following the assessment of the concerns and impact on the industry, Ecorys has identified four policy options, which are compared and assessed from a cost/benefit point of view.

Based on effectiveness, efficiency and coherence, the report concludes that variations on harmonised legislation for the whole approval (option 3) and EU type approval (option 4) would provide the most optimal solution.

ERA, as representative organisation for the equipment rental industry in Europe, welcomes this discussion since the fragmentation of road regulation has been identified by the ERA members as one of the key-barriers to the internal market and therefore hampering the uptake of cross-border renting of equipment.

The study can be downloaded on the website of the DG GROW: http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/mechanical-engineering/machinery/.

For more information on the ERA paper on internal market related barriers, please consult the ERA website, http://erarental.org/en/publications/position-papers-and-guidance-to-industry/internal-market-related-barriers-examples-from-european-equipment-rental-companies, or contact the ERA Secretariat at era@erarental.org