Business · Energy & Commodities · 5 hrs ago
Energy and infrastructure projects boost Europe’s heavy transport market
Europe’s heavy transport and crane market is growing as energy and infrastructure projects increase demand for moving and lifting large equipment.
ESTA president Fabio Belli said demand is strong in wind power, transport infrastructure and nuclear energy.
New wind power capacity in Europe rose by about a third in the first half of the year compared with the same period last year.
Nuclear projects have also gained support, while ageing roads and bridges and the need to move military equipment across borders are adding to infrastructure demands.
Companies face shortages of skilled operators and drivers, as well as different permit rules and other bureaucratic barriers that can raise costs and cause delays.
ESTA has introduced a European crane operator licence, and is working on a licence for operators of specialised trailers and modular carriers.
The EU is negotiating revised rules on vehicle weights and dimensions, which Belli hopes will be completed by the end of the year and create more consistent standards.
Europe’s heavy transport and lifting engineering market is growing, supported by investment in energy and infrastructure.
ESTA President Fabio Belli said demand is strong in wind energy, transport, infrastructure and nuclear energy.
New wind power capacity commissioned in Europe in the first half of the year was about one-third higher than in the same period last year.
The sector faces shortages of skilled workers and bureaucratic barriers that raise costs and cause delays.
Belli said integrated logistics, with engineering involved from the early stages of projects, is becoming more important.
- Who
- Europe’s heavy transport and lifting engineering sector, as described by ESTA President Fabio Belli.
- What
- The market is growing, driven by energy and infrastructure investment.
- When
- The article was published on 14 October 2026. It also reports on developments in the first half of the year.
- Where
- Europe.
- Why
- Demand is supported by investment in wind and nuclear energy, transport and infrastructure, as well as by energy security needs.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
New wind energy capacity commissioned in Europe was about one-third higher than in the same period last year.
Belli said he hoped negotiations on revising the EU Weights and Dimensions Directive would be completed.
- Market
- Europe’s heavy transport and lifting engineering sector
- Wind capacity
- About one-third higher in the first half of the year than in the same period last year
- Association
- European Association of Abnormal Road Transport and Mobile Cranes (ESTA)
- Licensing initiative
- European Crane Operators Licence (ECOL)
- Directive
- EU Weights and Dimensions Directive revision under negotiation in Brussels
What people are saying
Planlandığı şekliyle yasalaşırsa, yeni direktif ağır taşımacılık sektöründe son bir kuşağın en önemli ve en olumlu gelişmesi niteliğini taşıyacak