March 11 2015 the European parliament in Strasburg passed new directives for the dimensions and weight of heavy goods vehicles. The parliamentarians upheld the ban on cross-border journeys by oversized HGVs, also known as LHVs or gigaliners. In contrast, they approved a new type of HGV design with a rounded driver’s cab, which is intended to improve traffic safety for cyclists and pedestrians. Whereas several EU member states allow LHVs to use the roads, the EU itself has shown the so-called gigaliner a stop sign and has taken a fundamentally different approach based on improvements to traffic safety.
Opponents of the concept of oversized vehicles - i.a. Pro Kolej Foundation - criticise the fact that it will mean cost benefits for road freight transport and therefore distort competition. This will lead to transportation being shifted from environmentally friendly transport modes such as goods trains and the inland waterways and back onto the roads, which will negatively impact road traffic safety, the environment and public finances.