Examination of the development of the number and use of trucks up to 3.5 tons total weight

In EU Member States, it is still the case that, except where provided for by national law, the rules on access to the occupation of road transport operator do not apply to undertakings engaged in the occupation of road transport operator exclusively by motor vehicles with a maximum permissible laden weight not exceeding 3,5 tonnes or combination vehicle with the specified maximum weight. The European Commission has pointed out for long time that the number of such companies or vehicles operating both nationally and internationally are also growing. In order to avoid possible gaps and to ensure, through common rules, a minimum level of professionalisation in the sector in which vehicles used exclusively for the carriage of goods with a maximum permissible laden weight not exceeding 3,5 tonnes are used, thereby approximating the conditions of competition between all operators. Requirements for access to the profession should become mandatory for operators using motor vehicles or combinations of vehicles intended exclusively for the carriage of goods in international transport, the maximum permissible laden weight of which exceeds 2.5 tonnes but does not exceed 3.5 tonnes. Therefore, the aim of the paper is to examine the development of the number of trucks up to 3.5 tons in the past time in the Slovak Republic and Poland, but also their use in traffic surveys on a selected transport network in the Slovak Republic. The results of the survey show a relatively large share of these vehicles in the statistics of newly registered vehicles as well as a large share in the traffic flow and on the highway between the two countries. Tightening the requirements for access to the profession and introducing the obligation for digital tachographs to control the driver’s driving mode will have implications for logistical planning, especially for long-distance express services.