Norway demands snow tires on trailers

Many costs will be levied from Swedish haulage companies in the future. Our new government has announced that a kilometre tax will be introduced, which I will discuss again later on. In Norway it was decided about a month ago that all trailers that weigh more than 3.5 tons must have snow tires. This is an extension on the requirements introduced last year on heavy-duty trucks and tractors.   

– The requirement of snow tires has been an important step towards road safety and accessibility, says Bodil Rønning Dreyer, manager of the Norwegian Public Roads Administration.

And it is true. But at the same time I wonder how many accidents there were in Norway last year because the trailer itself did not have snow tires. In any case, the ban comes into force January 1st of 2015 and will be in force from November 15 to March 31.  

The hauliers are the losers here, because they are the ones who will have to use money earmarked for other things. As is well known, a trailer has six tires and each tire costs approximately 500 to 600 euros. Every trailer can therefore be up to 4 000 euros more expensive.

I think it is a great initiative if it actually will improve road safety. In addition, it applies to all trailers, Norwegian as well as foreign ones. And it will be simple enough for the Norwegian police force, who is the designated controller, to make sure everyone follows these rules.

Unlike in Sweden, the change affects everyone. In Sweden a congestion charge has been put into force and it only affects Swedish drivers. Now I am afraid the same thing will happen with the kilometer tax.

Vehicles with a foreign license plate will not have to pay and this is not acceptable.

To talk about something else, it has been a blast to watch the Frölunda Indians’ hockey warriors on the ice this season. It has been a long time since supporters could go to a Frölunda game as league leader supporters. 

Thomas Ström
Founder and CEO of NTEX