“We need commercial diesel to remain competitive with our neighboring countries,” says Alexander Klacska, head of the Federal Department of Transport and Traffic at the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKÖ). The mineral oil tax in Austria is at the higher end in a European comparison, he points out. Hydrogen as an alternative for heavy traffic is far from being available across the board, so no alternative in the near future.
The transport companies have little hope that the high inflation could soon be a thing of the past. In the regular survey of the transport industry by the WKÖ, 91 percent said that they had raised their prices, 87 percent believe that things will continue in this direction.
Higher toll due to inflation expected
Klacska also warns of particularly high charges in the area of tolls. This is adjusted annually for inflation, which would mean a considerable additional burden for car and truck drivers in view of the currently very high inflation. A haulier in Germany would already drive more than twice as far as in Austria with a 50 euro toll, criticizes Klacska.
Too few women drive trucks
The labor shortage is causing deep concerns in the transport industry. 40 percent of the drivers are over 50 years old, the industry chairman calculated in an interview with the APA. In the past, drivers from Eastern Europe could still have filled the ever-growing gap, but that is no longer the case. And unfortunately, despite all the initiatives, it has not been possible to get more women interested in the job, only two percent of the employees are queens of the country road.
According to a study published a few days ago by the management consultancy Berylls, autonomously driving trucks will account for around ten percent of new registrations in the USA by 2030. The driver for this is not only the driver shortage, but also that the driver’s wages account for more than 40 percent of the total costs.
Concerns about energy and labor are also having an impact on investment sentiment, which in turn is reflected in the vehicle fleet. Austria is one of the countries with the biggest drop in new truck registrations in Europe; from January to June the decline was almost 58 percent to 14,769 vehicles. The lack of chips is also leaving its mark, as the delivery time for a heavy truck is currently more than a year.
Regional driving bans imposed too lightly?
A thorn in the side of the freighters are the regional driving bans, which would be imposed too carelessly. In Germany and other European countries, the carriers have already gone on the offensive. You have lodged complaints with the EU Commission against the truck ban on driving at night on the Tyrolean Inntalautobahn. The general ban massively restricts the basic freedom of free movement of goods guaranteed by the EU treaties. The German freighters are also planning to lodge a complaint with the EU Commission against other measures taken by Tyrol, such as block handling and the sectoral driving ban.
Domestic transport companies also see a need for action on the rails. The prioritization of increasing passenger traffic leaves fewer and fewer practicable slots for freight traffic. This is also taking revenge on the fact that although there has been talk of expanding Danube navigation for goods transport for decades, hardly any action has been taken.
Source: Nachrichten
