For business, necessity or pleasure, our roads are often crowded with freight vehicles of all sizes from all over Europe. A recent study by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) ranked the EU countries with the largest fleet of medium and heavy commercial vehicles, in numerical terms. Poland is in first place with almost 1.2 million, followed by Germany (over 1 million) and Italy in third place (just shy of 1 million).
At over 21 years old, Greek trucks are the oldest in the EU (the average is 13 years). They are followed by the Czech Republic (over 17), Belgium (almost 16) and Spain (14.7). In Italy, the age of the fleet is just over 14 years. The most recent trucks can be found in Austria (6.4 years).
More than 28 million vans are also on the road throughout the EU: with 6 million vehicles, France has by far the largest fleet. The average age of light commercial vehicles in the EU is 11.6 years. Among the four largest EU markets, Spain has the oldest van fleet (13.0 years), followed closely by Italy (12.6 years).
There is a major effort in Europe to modernise heavy and light commercial vehicle fleets. In Italy, for example, 100 million euros have been earmarked to help companies buy more technological and green vehicles in order to renew their fleets and reduce pollution and road hazards. The automotive industry is also doing its part. Today’s vehicles are increasingly advanced in terms of safety, environmental impact and driver comfort. But while the latest generation of vehicles is coming out with very sophisticated technological equipment and native connectivity, even ‘older’ fleets need to modernise in order to be competitive.
In this regard, Viasat satellite telematics is already a valuable partner for transport companies, which can thus ensure that they have cutting-edge technology to achieve efficiency objectives and improve their business performance.