The International Transport Organization (IRU), an organization of which the CETM is part, has carried out a study to analyze the impact of Covid-19 on road transport. The results warn of a possible wave of bankruptcies of the transport companies that would take place in the next year.
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According to the International Transport Organization, transport operators around the world they face a loan default in 2021 and Europe is the continent with the highest risk.
The fact that transportation companies are unable to repay their loans Over time and covering their operations will lead to insolvency and, therefore, the closure of the business. Therefore, the IRU recalls the plan of measures that it considers necessary on the part of the governments to support and avoid the collapse of the road freight transport sector.
This research also shows that annual losses for freight transport they have risen to $ 679 billion and at least $ 500 billion in passenger transport worldwide. From the IRU they point out that the situation is “particularly disastrous in Europe”, Where it is estimated that the losses amount to 125,000 million dollars for the transport of goods and 94,000 million for passenger transport.
Annual freight losses have risen to $ 679 billion worldwide
To ensure the survival of the companies, the IRU calls on the governments to carry out the following points:
1. Provide direct cash grants to road transport companies as temporary help
2. Facilitate access to loans to cover variable costs (such as ongoing operational needs), refinancing of pre-existing loans for the purchase of assets (for example, vehicle leases) and facilitate access to credit for fleet renewal at low interest rates or 0%
3. Facilitate extensions for loan payments and lease fees
4. Extend payment terms and / or temporarily reduce or waive taxes, charges and duties, including taxes, social contributions and fuel tax
5. Facilitate the reduction of insurance premiums and waive premiums for vehicles that are not operational due to to stop freight and passenger services
6. Establish financial support programs for the temporarily unemployed trucking workers. Facilitate the reintegration into labor transport for skilled people who were unemployed due to the crisis
7. Establish green truck lanes at all borders, supported by policies and procedures that avoid and systematic stop of trucks at the borders
8. Prioritize collective passenger transport, especially for workers, with adequate health protection measures
9. Appoint the trucking workers as key workers, prioritizing access to adequate protection and disinfection equipment and materials that have not yet been sufficiently available by governments
10. Allow maximum flexibility in the interpretation of the driving rules, driving restrictions and tolerance measures to extend the validity of expired control documents, including visas, certificates and licenses
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