Moscow bans polluting trucks

As of September, 2017, non-envrionmentally friendly trucks have been banned from entering Moscow. It’s a bold move, given Russia’s haulage industry accounts for around 70% of total freight turnover, but one that could pay dividends in terms of congestion and air quality.

Trucks below Euro-Class 3 banned from entering Moscow

Circling the core of Russia’s capital is the Moscow Ring Road (MKAD). This lengthy motorway network represents the final border before entering Moscow proper – and now acts as a boundary restricting the entry of non-envrionmentally friendly cargo trucks.

Moscow’s polluting truck ban entered force on September 1st 2017.

Euro-3 ecological class and under now cannot pass through the Moscow’s Third Ring Road (TTK), which skirts the city, while Euro-2 class lorries cannot pass through the MKVD. This latest measure was signed into law by Sergey Sobyanin, the Mayor of Moscow, earlier in 2017.

The goal is to ease passenger traffic congestion in Moscow – a city where as much as 600,000 newly registered vehicles hit the roads every year. At present, there are over four million registered cars in Russia’s largest city.
 
A restriction on non-eco engines should also limit pollution levels.

Trucks are already banned from travelling along the MKAD from Friday-Sunday, and during non-working public holidays between 6am and midnight.
 
It should be stressed that not all trucks have been cut off from using the MKAD or heading into Moscow city centre – just those with engines that fall into the Euro-3 category or lower.

Euro engine classifications are based on EU emissions standards. The higher the categorisation, the less polluting they are. At present, the majority of trucks reach at least Euro-5 standards, and the 56,000 new units sold in Russia last year will have been built with modern, eco-friendly engines.

EU emissions ratings also apply to fuel. As of January 2017, Moscow fuel sellers stopped selling blends below a Euro-5 classification.

This ban mainly affects small-to-medium enterprises, which represent the bulk of the Russian haulage industry. As much as 80% of Russian trucking firms are privately owned, which means those based in Moscow may have to start investing in eco-friendly vehicles.

Moscow plays with new cargo truck regulations

Additionally, Moscow is also experimenting with a new regime for freight haulers throughout the city. Designated loading and unloading zones are now in place with specialised truck parking zones set up away from residential areas.

Truckers also require permits to enter the city, and routes chosen must be the shortest possible. Failure to do so will land hauliers with a 5000 rouble fine (approximately $86).
 
However, the permit application process has been streamlined, meaning the proper documentation is not hard to come by.

This was first trialled in Moscow’s eastern districts, where residential, commercial, and industrial spaces are in close proximity with each other. Under the scheme, 86 streets were identified as suitable for trucks 2.5 tons and under.
 
Authorities in the Eastern Administrative District of Moscow deemed the trial a success so the scheme is be rolled out in the North and North-East districts of the capital for further testing.

Trucking Russia-wide enters recovery mode

While these measures only currently affect Moscow, if successful, they could be rolled out to other major Russian cities like St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg.

Indeed, there very well might be higher numbers of cargo lorries travelling across Russia from here on out. The haulage sector has entered recovery mode after a couple of years of economic crisis.

Between January-October 2016, 69.4% of Russia’s total cargo turnover was carried by the nation’s hauliers. Across the full year, truck loads came to a staggering 5.1 billion tons – a 1.9% recovery against 2015’s levels.
Additionally, containerised truck shipments have risen 6% year-on-year between January-February 2017, so recovery is on its way.

Meet Russia’s trucking sector at TransRussia

If you are a manufacturer of eco-friendly trucking solutions, want to arrange haulage services, or want to grow your business leads throughout the Russian trucking industry, be sure to be at TransRussia.

TransRussia is Russia’s biggest event dedicated to transport and logistics. 345 companies from Russia and around the world took part in the 2017 show. 14,745 industry professionals attended from 76 Russian regions – making it the meeting place for Russia’s key transportation decision makers.

Want to expand your Russian operations? Contact our team now to book your slot at TransRussia 2018 or to get more info on the show.
 

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