English - Nooteboom Giants on the Road Magazine English - Nr. 6 - 2019 | Page 26

GIANTS ON THE ROAD
Exemptions in Spain
CLEAR REGULATIONS
THE REGULATIONS REGARDING EXEMPTION APPLICATIONS FOR A SPECIAL
TRANSPORT VARY WIDELY IN THE MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION.
IN SPITE OF THE EFFORTS OF ESTA AND VARIOUS OTHER ORGANISATIONS -
THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE ONE SINGLE EUROPEAN EXEMPTION SYSTEM – THIS
SITUATION IS NOT GOING TO CHANGE IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS. IN SPAIN
THE GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR EXEMPTIONS ARE FAIRLY STRAIGHTFORWARD,
BUT THE SYSTEM ALSO CONTAINS NUMEROUS EXCEPTIONS.
EUROPE
Years ago ESTA submitted a proposal for a simplified exemption system
within Europe. This proposal was not even taken into consideration
in the EU, for at least four reasons. The main reason is that abnormal
transport is by definition ‘non-statutory’. In every EU member state
one – or sometimes even more than one – organisation is given the
mandate to issue exemptions for vehicles that exceed the maximum
legal dimensions and weight. These regulations often differ per region
or province. The second reason is the variety of local conditions that
prevail in Europe. Wide motorways require a different policy than
narrow mountain roads. And if we consider the various load capacities
and maximum height for bridges and viaducts as well as totally different
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weather conditions, it is clear that the regulations are adapted to local
conditions. The third reason lies in the past. Between 1960 and 1970 the
first heavy and large transports appeared on the roads. Usually the police
– in consultation with the road authority – decided whether a route
was suitable. This created considerable variations per municipality and
region. The European roads are administered by thousands of different
road authorities who all have their own opinion about their little piece
of the road network. The final reason: in most European countries a
local transport operator will have an advantage when applying for an
exemption. This may evoke negative, nationalist feelings but in most
cases this is not justified. A local transport operator is best placed to