Italian registrations of trailers and semi-trailers with a total mass exceeding 3.5 tons show signs of recovery in June 2024, following six months of uninterrupted decline. According to Unrae, 1,445 units were registered in the sixth month of the year compared to 1,388 in 2023, marking a 4.1% increase. However, this trend reversal does not alter the negative outlook for the first half of the year: from January to June 2024, 7,227 new towed vehicles were registered, representing a 13.4% drop compared to the 8,348 units in the same period in 2023.
Michele Mastagni, coordinator of Unrae's Trailer, Semi-trailer, and Equipment Group, commented: “Although the sector has lifted its head, we cannot be too pleased with this result, largely due to the need to register a high number of vehicles before July 7, 2024, the date of implementation of EU Regulation 2019/2144 on vehicle safety (known as GSR 2), which mandates the addition of new advanced driver assistance systems.”
To consolidate this recovery, Mastagni emphasized the need for structural interventions by the Government: “To effectively reverse the downward trend recorded in the first five months of the year and ensure that June’s growth is not an isolated case, the Government must adopt structural and concrete support measures for our sector, which has the highest average age of any vehicle category in the fleet.”
Unrae also hopes for the establishment of a multi-year fund of 70 million euros to incentivize the renewal of the fleet with the latest generation of towed vehicles, without equipment restrictions. In the short term, the association calls for the rapid availability of 7.5 million euros allocated for the purchase of new trailers and semi-trailers for combined and refrigerated transport under ATP regulations.
Mastagni concluded with an appeal for the revision of the Highway Code: “We reiterate the call to authorize the circulation of articulated vehicles up to 18.75 meters in length without any discrimination. The Bill on the revision of the Highway Code, currently under review in the Senate, represents a unique and unmissable opportunity to introduce this absolutely sensible regulatory adjustment.”
