German states put brake on nationwide mega truck trials

12 Oct 2010. The summit of German state transport ministers spoke out against the nationwide trials with mega trucks as planned by the German federal government. The majority of eight states asked the federal government last Thursday not to carry out the nationwide trial with oversized trucks.

The federal government announced earlier this year to allow the trials by issuing an exemption provision to avoid the otherwise necessary approval by the states. A report from the German Institute for Urban Studies (Difu) recently declared this approach as unlawful and unconstitutional.

Regardless of the vote by the states the federal transport ministry does not seem to give up. Right after the conference the federal ministry announced to hold talks with the seven states that did not reject the nationwide trials. Currently it is unclear if this also means that there will be trials with mega trucks in these seven states and when these might begin.