International Road Transport Union

IRU is the world road transport organisation, helping connect societies with safe, efficient and green mobility and logistics since 1948. As the voice of over 3.5 million companies operating mobility and logistics services in more than 100 countries, IRU’s work supports trade, economic growth, jobs, safety, the environment, and communities.

IRU believes that a sustainable paradigm shift is essential in all sectors, including the road transport sector, to address new challenges that lie ahead and achieve Europe’s climate goals. Logistics need to be made more efficient, not only through the optimisation of transport modes and infrastructure, but also through the development of more efficient vehicles. Such new technologies need to be trustworthy and accepted by users to be successful. IRU has been involved in many initiatives to support innovation and communicate the lessons learned to its members. ZEFES is one of the flagship projects at the European level that aims to deploy zero-emission vehicles in Europe and beyond.

One of the key objectives of IRU is to understand and map the business needs of the road transport sector by collaborating with operators and other stakeholders. IRU supports the data collection process by enriching the digital twin with data from road freight operators.

Moreover, IRU is part of the team identifying and addressing the legal and administrative requirements for trucks to obtain the necessary permits for testing in several countries (EU Member States and beyond). Finally, IRU uses its network to disseminate the project’s results and involves members in the ZEFES stakeholder group.