European Clean Trucking Alliance — 2026-04-22
Land transportation
The European Clean Trucking Alliance (ECTA) together with a coalition of major European businesses and civil society organisations is calling on Ministers across Europe to swiftly implement toll exemptions for zero-emission trucks (ZETs).
Such exemptions are one of the most practical steps governments can take to accelerate clean freight. Any government that has not yet fully implemented the Eurovignette Directive is being urged to:
In countries where tolls are in place, the coalition recommends the swift introduction of a CO2-based toll system, with significantly reduced rates for zero-emission trucks.
The open letter was sent to Transport Ministers across EU Member States on 22 April. It is coordinated by Climate Group EV100, CALSTART / Drive to Zero, the European Clean Trucking Alliance, T&E, and Smart Freight Centre.
Trucks and buses are responsible for around a quarter of Europe’s road transport emissions, despite making up just 2% of vehicles on the road. Zero-emission trucks are commercially viable, including for long-haul routes of up to 600km, with dozens of models in mass production. But high total cost of ownership (TCO) remains the key barrier to widespread adoption. Toll exemptions address this directly.
“Lidija Peters, Decarbonisation Projects Lead and Business Relationship Manager at DFDS and ECTA Spokesperson, said: Scaling zero‑emission trucks requires every stakeholder to take their share of the effort: ECTA members are aiming for TCO parity through smart use‑case selection and efficient operations. Now the EU must push its Member States to implement frameworks like the Eurovignette to make TCO parity for ZETs a reality beyond selected use cases”.
Germany’s toll exemption for zero-emission trucks has proven an actionable model for accelerating transport decarbonisation. The policy, extended until mid-2031, is lowering operating costs, boosting investor confidence, and accelerating the transition to zero-emission heavy-duty fleets in a key European market.