More pressure for German transport reform

Abnormal road transport in Europe. Photo: Goldhofer

Germany’s heavy transport and industry lobby group VI-GST has sent a position paper to the new federal government in Berlin in an attempt to ensure it delivers on promised improvements to the country’s heavy and abnormal transport regulations.

VI-GST – Verbändeinitiative Grossraum und Schwertransporte – is a powerful pan-industry group supported by 21 organisations in the transport, construction, energy and industrial sectors. One member familiar to our audience is the European Association of Abnormal Road Transport and Mobile Cranes (ESTA). It has already successfully lobbied the German government to commit to a series of improvements to the country’s heavy and abnormal transport regulations but now wants to ensure that those improvements are delivered as soon as possible.

ESTA is the European association of abnormal road transport and mobile cranes

The position paper states, “Large-volume and heavy-duty transport (GST) ensures the competitiveness of Germany as a business location and is an indispensable prerequisite for urgently needed energy and infrastructure projects, the export of valuable assets, and the transport of military equipment.

“The previous government was able to implement some measures, but many avoidable bureaucratic hurdles, a lack of co-ordination between the responsible authorities, increasing deficits in transport infrastructure, and inadequate digitalisation continue to hinder the implementation of GST.”

Its importance in recent months has increased as a result of Europe’s need to improve its defence capabilities, including the need to move heavy military equipment quickly.

Four priorities are set out in the paper as follows:

In addition to the above, VI-GST calls for the development of selected heavy transport corridors (also a long-standing ESTA policy); improved rest areas and parking spaces for heavy transport; and implementation of a bridge modernisation plan. The position paper continues: “Many bridges in Germany are dilapidated. They are closed or reduced in size, making them often no longer accessible for GST. This causes long detours, higher transport costs, and significant delays in the value chain. The result is significant economic damage.”

It proposed the exemption limit for large-volume and heavy-duty transport be raised to 44 tonnes, “particularly with regard to the promotion of electric freight transport, in order to compensate for the loss of loading capacity caused by alternative drive systems.”

It adds, “Germany is a transit country in the heart of Europe. To remain competitive, we must align ourselves with the permissible total weights for GST of our EU neighbours. This requires targeted investments in transport infrastructure – especially in bridge structures.”

The position paper’s signatories included Helmut Schgeiner, head of ESTA’s Germany member BSK, plus Peter Guttenberger, honorary chairman of the German construction and engineering association VDBUM, and Marvin-Uwe Marek, lawyer for steel construction association Bauforumstahl.

The importance of VI-GST’s work to wider European industry was underlined in April when ESTA presented a special award to VI-GST during the 2025 ESTA Awards dinner in Munich. It was accepted on behalf of VI-GST by Peter Guttenberger and Marvin-Uwe Marek. Commenting on the award Ton Klijn, ESTA director, said, “This is not just a German issue, of course. Germany is hugely important to Europe’s economy as a whole. The work of VI-GST has been extremely impressive and we hope that its influence will continue and grow. ESTA is delighted to be involved and to offer whatever support we can.

“It also shows what can be achieved when different organisations work together under a common umbrella. Long may it continue.”

A note of caution from Klijn, however, “Our one piece of advice to our German friends and colleagues is to ensure that their own new rules and systems are aligned with those on abnormal transport contained in the upcoming revisions to the EU’s Weights and Dimensions Directive.

“It would be a great shame – and a huge waste of effort – if they have to make yet further changes in the near future to ensure they are not in breach of the new European regulations.”