Road transport is highly fragmented with large numbers of small and medium-sized (SME) operators. How can the sector help SMEs transition to carbon neutrality without putting their businesses at risk? This question was at the centre of the latest IRU Green Compact Roundtable, hosted by IRU member DP World in Paris, France.
Over 30 senior representatives from across the industry – operators, shippers, OEMs, energy suppliers and service providers – took part in the seventh edition of the IRU Green Compact Roundtable.
IRU kicked off the closed-door roundtable with an overview of the industry’s decarbonisation challenge and the main regulatory developments expected in the coming years.
Participants considered the pace of fleet renewal, rising operating costs and the difficulties faced by smaller operators in financing alternative fuel vehicles, particularly battery-electric vehicles that are two to three times more expensive than conventional trucks.
DP World presented its sustainability strategy and several programmes designed to reduce road freight emissions. These included electric truck trials, lower-carbon fuels, carbon insetting, modal shift and tools to measure transport emissions. (....)