The advent of the European Union was perhaps the most important thing to happen to Europe – as both a continent and an inhabitable space – in the past 50 years. As a result of this coalition between some of its main nations, mobility within the continent became significantly easier, both for individual citizens and for companies wanting to expand their business internationally. The figurative ‘gates’ between nations were open, and the Old Continent as a whole is still benefitting from it over half a century later.
Among the main parties to benefit from this ease in mobility were haulage companies. The delivery business is, in its own right, one of the most profitable trade-based fields in modern society, and this opening of Europe’s ‘doors’ (and roads) to citizens of every member nation has multiplied the opportunities for international expansion.
Many haulage companies have chosen to explore these new avenues and take their business out of their countries of origin and into the European space as a whole. In the current European environment, it is not unusual to see lorries from all sorts of different countries travelling up and down the motorways of any given member state, often en route to a third or perhaps even a fourth. At least as far as Europe is concerned, haulage has become a globalised business.
However, for as many positive aspects as it brings about, this increasing globalisation of the European space has also forced regulatory entities to revise and adapt their international regulations for a number of different fields. Perhaps chief among these was safety, as the European Commission understood that the increasing number of vehicles in Europe’s roads would inevitably lead to a higher chance of accidents occurring.
Better Safe Than Sorry
It was with this mindset that European authorities set about – in the early years of the new millennium – trying to ascertain the level of road haulage safety across the European Union. And results (at least those gauged by a 2004 survey) were not encouraging: figures were often found to be withheld or charged for, and those that did exist indicated that – whether due to financial constraints or simple lack of awareness – a large percentage of Europe’s haulage companies did not comply to the safety standards and guidelines set by the Union’s regulatory entities.
As a way to ensure this particular status quo was changed, the Commission enforced a number of new and revised standards, reaching across all the different areas of the haulage business. Loading guidelines were drawn up, driver hiring and conduct standards set, and safety equipment and regular vehicle inspections were mandated, among other measures. The result, still felt a decade later, was a more safety-minded and conscious Europe, where an increasing number of privately-owned haulage companies are working to make their drivers’ international trips safer and more streamlined.