A high-level debate at the European Parliament – convened by ESTA on the eve of the European Commission’s new Military Mobility Package – has reinvigorated efforts to harmonise standards, streamline permitting, and establish dedicated abnormal transport corridors. As political support gathers, industry leaders are optimistic that a unified framework may soon replace the current maze of bureaucracy.
The keynote presentation in the debate was given by ESTA director Ton Klijn who set out ESTA’s four key priorities. These are: implementation of the weights and dimensions directive’s requirements for abnormal transports; developing abnormal transport corridors; aligning permitting procedures with NATO urgency levels; and ensuring corridors are available for all abnormal transports.
“The High-Level Debate was a considerable success,” said Klijn, “and it confirmed the positive and growing level of support for our industry and its requirements among Europe’s politicians, regulators and officials.”
Ton Klijn was supported by Marinka Nooteboom, CEO of trailer manufacturer Nooteboom, and Lukasz Chwalczuk, from the Polish Heavy Transport Association, who set out the important economic role of the sector and the multiple bureaucratic obstacles it currently faces right across Europe.
Nicolas Lyrakides from the Permanent Representation of Cyprus to the EU, whose country will take over the Council Presidency from Denmark in January next year, also spoke.
He hoped that agreement will soon be reached. That would allow a final round of discussions between the Commission, the Parliament and the Council of Member States to take place also in January, after which a final text can be sent to the Parliament and Council for formal adoption.
MILITARY MOBILITY
The new Military Mobility Package contains measures to streamline and coordinate national regulations through the creation of new pan- European bodies, such as the Military Mobility Transport Group, and backs the development of pan-European heavy transport corridors to support both Europe’s armed forces and industry.
The aim is to make it easier for troops, equipment and military assets to move quickly and smoothly across Europe in case they are needed.
“You cannot defend a continent if you cannot move across it,” said Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Europe’s Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism.
“We are not talking about constructing entirely new infrastructure but adapting existing infrastructure for dual use – both military and civilian.”
The package is strongly supported by ESTA. It believes that, taken together, the two packages of regulatory reform could lead to dramatic improvements in the speed and efficiency of heavy and abnormal transports throughout Europe.
This, it points out, would have massive benefits to both Europe’s military operations and industries.
The military sector is, of course, a heavy user of specialised transport. Tanks and the like need to be transported to battlefields quickly and at short notice. Dutch trailer-maker Broshuis announced in August that Belgian armed forces had chosen the company to supply trailers for Protected Evacuation Vehicles (PEV combinations). This order is in addition to an earlier contract for nine PEV combinations that were awarded in 2022.
The Protected Evacuation Vehicle (PEV) is designed to recover immobilised vehicles used by the Belgian army in challenging conditions where safety is of utmost importance. The trailers used to transport them require high efficiency combined with strong off-road capabilities, allowing the vehicles to operate even in rough, unprepared terrain.
For this project Broshuis will deliver 13 three-axle, extendable low loaders. The low loaders will be equipped with three PL2 pendle system axles and a hydraulically detachable Stanag gooseneck.
The result is a combination that, Broshuis claims, offers maximum flexibility and manoeuvrability even under toughest conditions.
Broshuis has a track record here. Between 2022 and 2024 its prototypes underwent extensive testing in extreme conditions, from off-road routes to fording tests and heavy field trials.
Some of the tests took place in the Czech Republic at Tatra’s test track, where the trailer was driven at high speed across different surfaces. The PL2 pendle adapted well to varying terrains. The low loader was repeatedly extended and retracted to evaluate both speed and user-friendliness in an evacuation scenario.
In a wading test the low loader was driven through a water basin to test its ability to operate in water without damage to crucial components such as the axles, brakes, and electrical systems.
In Belgium a field test was carried out with a heavy defence vehicle loaded on the trailer. The combination was tested under extreme off-road conditions where high speeds and deep muddy pits testsed the suspension and durability of the PL2 pendle axles.
Throughout these intensive tests, the truck-trailer combination performed above expectations, resulting in the tender.
CRANE COLLAB
Broshuis partners with various loader-crane companies for folding cranes that can be installed on their low-loaders. Cranes are mounted either on the trailer or on the truck-trailer combination, always within the legal combination length of 16.5 metres, including customised loading platforms and gooseneck lengths.
Once such partner, based in Halsteren, is CCH, who builds heavy, often highly specialised, commercial vehicles and who also handles maintenance, repairs, and inspections for, among others, Erkin and HMF truck-mounted cranes. Another is Palfingerspecialist VDA Konstruktie; Vlarotch, an official HMF dealer, and Hiab, complete the line-up.
Placing a loader crane on a truck or trailer requires modifications. Broshuis has created a department to provide advice and solutions, customised, if necessary, to suit client’s operations.
Loader cranes are ubiquitous on smaller trucks; on low-loaders and semi-trailers they are, until now, rarely seen. Yet ‘the loader crane is ideal in many ways,’ says Broshuis, speaking to the latter application. ‘As a haulier, you are free because you can load and unload where and when you want and you are not dependent on a third party. You can use your own truck-mounted crane for this and you do not have to rent one. This saves time and costs.’
FLIP FOR FLEXIBILITY
Moving from trailers with onboard lifting equipment to specialised transport aimed at moving lifting equipment, Luxembourg headquartered trailer manufacturer Faymonville has expanded its MultiMAX range with a new component: the Flip-Tail ramp.
The Flip-Tail doubles as a ramp or loading surface whilst remaining strong and compact thanks to the flip-up functionality says Faymonville.
“With the new Flip-Tail ramp we enable our customers to transport lifting equipment much more efficiently and more flexibly,” says Rainer Noe, product manager at Faymonville. “It is simply twice as strong; it can be used either as a ramp or as a loading surface.”
The hydraulically foldable ear operates as a classic ramp or, in a horizontal position, to provide an additional loading area of 3,000mm.
If not needed it can be folded up, shortening the vehicle by 2,400mm. Users thus gain manoeuvrability and agility – especially valuable in tight urban areas and factory premises. It has a load capacity up to ten tonnes.
The low approach angle is nine degrees which, Faymonville says, is ideal even when ground clearance is limited.
Full-surface grating contributes to a significant weight reduction and is optimal for driving machines with solid rubber tyres on and off the trailer, Faymonville adds.
All the hydraulic functions are remote controlled. The hydraulic ramp extension is three-part and can be adjusted to the width of the unloading ramp – an advantage for loading in halls, at docks, or at freight forwarders without ground-level access.
In 2025 Faymonville saw a major six-figure purchase from Merseyside, UK-based John Sutch Cranes who announced a major fleet investment with the acquisition of two trailers from its MAX Trailer brand. The trailers will be used to transport crane ballast.
They have a gross weight capacity of 83 tonnes and payload capacity of approximately 71 tonnes. Safety features include 12,000kg BPW axles, hydraulic landing legs, full fall arrest systems, and Faymonville’s TPMS tyre monitoring system.
“The trailers, combined with our skilled operators and rigorous maintenance standards, position us perfectly to meet the evolving demands of our clients across the heavy lifting and transport sectors,” says Hayley Sutch, designate managing director at John Sutch Cranes.
“These trailers represent the pinnacle of heavy transport engineering,” adds Lee Rhoney, the company’s transport manager who oversaw the project. “They will significantly enhance our operational capability. Our drivers and clients deserve the best equipment available, and that’s exactly what we’ve invested in.”
WIND WORK
Collett & Sons is another North of England specialised transport company that has invested in new equipment. It has added a new Goldhofer FTV850 Blade Lifter to its specialist wind turbine transport fleet.
The FTV850 Blade Lifter can lift blades up to 100 metres long so is able to handle the increasing scale of today’s turbine components. It comprises four core elements: the lifting module; eight-axle split lines; six driven axle lines; and a 530BHP Addrive 2.0 powerpack unit. It has an 850 tonne-metre load capacity and allows blades to be elevated from zero to 60 degrees and also rotated through a full 360° of pitch – giving flexibility to adapt to wind speed and direction and route conditions.
The eight split axle lines can be adjusted to give four options between three and four metres wide to provide increased stability and load distribution based on blade weight, length and centre of gravity. The six driven axle lines are designed to provide increased traction and manoeuvrability on challenging routes.
This is the company’s second blade lifter trailer. Scheduled to arrive in February 2026 it will be deployed on the Sanquhar II Wind Farm project in Dumfries & Galloway and East Ayrshire, further enhancing Collett’s renewable energy transport capabilities.
As an example of the extent of its work in the onshore wind sector in October 2025 Collett successfully completed all deliveries to North Kyle Wind Farm, East Ayrshire, Scotland. 441 components were transported to build 49 Vestas V136 turbines. North Kyle marks the third-largest wind farm transport project ever completed by Collett.
Blades arrived at Glasgow’s King George V Dock; other turbine components came to the Port of Ayr. Shipments began in April 2024 and continued until late February 2025. From Glasgow the blades travelled 65 miles; from Ayr the distance was 34 miles.
Due to the size and complexity of the components a highly coordinated approach was needed. Deliveries were carefully scheduled, with three delivery slots per week allocated by police.
Each movement was supported by Collett’s own escort fleet, police escorts, and a dedicated on-site team consisting of a supervisor, six trucks, three escort vehicles and a tow truck. The deliveries were split into Phase A and Phase B, with Phase A delivering 28 turbines to the east side of the site and Phase B, covering 21 turbines, accessed via west side.
The longest components, 67-metre blades, were transported on Nooteboom Super Wing Carriers (SWC). The bottom and middle tower sections were on Nooteboom clamp trailers. And five to eight-axle step-frame trailers were used to transport the nacelles and the remaining components such as the top tower sections, hubs and drivetrains.
In late 2024 a major disruption occurred on a section of the A713 blocking access to one entrance. The damage, which began as a crack in the road few years ago, got wider and longer during investigations and resulted in the council shutting down all abnormal load transport along this route.
Working in close collaboration with Brockwell Energy and Jones Bros Civil Engineering, Collett’s team swiftly rerouted the remaining deliveries via the second entrance. Collett engineers supported Jones Bros Civil Engineering to produce updated swept path analysis reports and conducted further route surveys to verify the revised access points and route modifications. These changes allowed deliveries to resume via the entrance on the west side, accessed from the A76. This swift response reduced the impact on both the delivery schedule and wind farm’s completion date.
Despite adverse winter weather, including snow and ice, Collett successfully delivered the remaining Phase A components by December 2024. Phase B began in January 2025 and involved delivery of 189 components for the final 21 turbines. Once again, adverse weather conditions persisted through to the project’s conclusion. Despite that, the delivery schedule experienced only minimal delays and the final components were delivered to their respective pads by April 2025, officially concluding the project. Once operational the wind farm will generate 220.5 MW, to power approximately 183,900 UK homes.
Paul Worth, project manager at Collett & Sons, commented: ‘’The North Kyle project was a real challenge with large components, roadworks, winter weather and complex site access to navigate.
When the A713 was closed for abnormal load transport in September our team had to quickly rethink the delivery plan and reroute via Entrance 2. Seeing everyone adapt so efficiently and still deliver all 441 components with minimal delays really highlighted the skill, planning and teamwork we have at Collett.’’
PORTFOLIO EXPANSION
Nooteboom’s SWCs were key to Collet’s North Kyle work and the Dutch trailer manufacturer is expanding its product portfolio in order to continuing attracting contractors such as Collett.
Nooteboom’s most recent launch is the two-axle Euro-PX3 low loader, model Euro-47- 02(P3) which it showcased at the Solutrans tradeshow in Lyon, France, in November 2025.
This follows on from another new introduction: its Euro- PX3. The Euro-PX low loader is Nooteboom’s third-generation Euro-PX low loader with pendle axles. It was launched in April and has been engineered to offer significant improvements over previous generations. These, Nooteboom says, include increased payload, a wider excavator trough for oversized loads, more loading space, and large steering angles. Maintenance costs are also now lower, too, Nooteboom adds.
The two-axle Euro-PX3 low loader has 245/70R17.5 tyres; these bring the technical axle load to 12 tonnes per axle line at 80km per hour. Retracted the vehicle is within legal dimensions meaning no special permit is required to operate the trailer. It measures no longer than 12 metres from kingpin to bumper and is no wider than 2.55 metres; yet when fully extended the two-axle Euro-PX3 can still carry a 40’ container on the low bed. Total load capacity is 33 tonnes at 80 km/h. The model on display at Solutrans was bought by Dutch transport company Moovl Transport.
If the EU regulations can be harmonised, as hoped, specialised transport, in Europe at least, will find its paths made simpler and more free from bureaucracy, and therefore quicker and more efficient. All credit, therefore, to ESTA for helping to bring it about.
Europe’s specialised transport industry is demonstrating remarkable capacity for innovation and resilience, even as it wrestles with a regulatory framework that too often slows progress.
From military-ready trailers and adaptable loading systems to cutting-edge blade lifters and next-generation low loaders, manufacturers and operators are clearly investing in capability, efficiency and safety.
Yet these technological and operational advances can only reach their full potential within a regulatory environment that supports rather than hinders cross-border movement.
That is where ESTA’s work becomes crucial. The association’s push for harmonised rules, streamlined permitting and pan- European abnormal transport corridors directly complements the efforts of specialised transport equipment manufacturers and users – whose equipment and projects increasingly demand predictable, coordinated European routes. The high-level debate in Brussels – and the momentum behind the Military Mobility Package – suggests that policymakers are finally listening.
If Europe succeeds in aligning its regulations, the innovations showcased across the sector will be able to operate with far greater speed and efficiency. The result would be a transport landscape that better serves industry, infrastructure and defence alike – and one in which ESTA’s advocacy has played a defining role.
COMETTO PLACES BRIDGES TO THE MILLIMETRE IN THE HEART OF HAMBURG
A spectacular infrastructure project took place in August in the heart of Hamburg, Germany.
Within just a few days nine steel railway bridge superstructures were installed for long-distance and regional lines. Each bridge weighed around 120 tonnes. In the very limited space of the city centre Cometto SPMT units, combined with hydraulic jack-up systems, positioned the heavy trough bridges to the millimetre.
The installation took place under particularly challenging conditions: two parallel-coupled SPMT units – a six-axle and a four-axle with Power Pack Unit – were each combined with 2×2 type Enerpac JS 250 jack-up systems. The bridges had to be installed at angles of up to 43 degrees, taking into account a slope of eight percent in the driving direction and three percent sideways. “What was especially challenging is that we have to place the bridges on the SPMTs at a 45- or 25-degree angle, with only very narrow tolerances within the travel paths inside the bridge channel,” explains Rocco Schimmel, head of crane service, heavy installation & project engineering at Eisele, one of the companies involved. Support was provided by a three-point bearing system, while a third SPMT unit transported the bridges from interim storage on nearby roundabouts. The team was assisted by a total of seven mobile cranes.
“The bridges have to be levelled to the centimetre – but we can lift them to the millimetre, which is fantastic!” says Schimmel. “We have already used Cometto axles several times, and everything always works flawlessly.” Originally, the companies scheduled five days for the installation. Efficient teamwork between all participants and reliable technology meant the project was successfully completed in just three days.
SARENS DELIVERS OVERSIZED OFFSHORE COMPONENTS ON COAST OF NORWAY
Sarens and NorSea Logistics recently renewed a long-standing agreement to provide specialist heavy transport services along Norway’s rugged west coast. The partnership has proven a success, combining Sarens’ engineered transport expertise with NorSea’s deep local presence.
Under the agreement Sarens assists with port activities at key NorSea locations, including Stordbase, by transporting large offshore components that conventional port equipment cannot handle. Using 24 axle lines of K24ST SPMTs, Sarens moves a wide range of critical structures: offshore cable reels from 70 to 400 tonnes, subsea templates up to 450 tonnes, and subsea processing modules reaching 400 tonnes.
The loads are typically transferred from quay to temporary storage areas and back for final offshore installation. In one recent operation Sarens transported a 400-tonne offshore cable reel using the K24ST SPMT.
The teams work closely together on-site supported by Sarens’ in-house office at Stordbase, which enables short mobilisation times ranging from 48 hours to two weeks depending on operational needs.
As Matthias De Weerdt, key account manager at Sarens in Norway, explains: “Norsea and Sarens share a common working culture: we are both service-driven, quality-focused, and flexible. We fix things when it matters most, and that’s what our end clients count on.”
MAMMOET LAND RECLAMATION SEES 12 HEAVY BARGES MOVED IN SINGAPORE
A groundbreaking land reclamation project on an offshore island in Singapore is reclaiming about 800 hectares of land from the sea. Unlike traditional land reclamation, which involves infilling with sand, the project employs the innovative ‘empoldering’ method, a first for Singapore.
The method creates a low-lying tract of land, known as a polder, by constructing a dike around the area and draining water from it. The dike shields the Pulau Tekong Polder from the sea, and water levels are controlled by a network of drains and pumps. This significantly reduces the amount of fill material required, leading to lower construction costs.
As part of the project a stormwater collection pond within the polder was constructed to collect excess stormwater. Various floating equipment and barges were used to deepen this large body of water. Once it was completed the equipment and barges – which were now landlocked – needed to be retrieved and relocated for continued operations.
A total of 12 barges, ranging in weight from 680t to 990t, had to be recovered from the stormwater collection pond, transported across the newly-built haul road to the dike, and launched back into the sea – a complex undertaking requiring advanced technical expertise and specialised equipment.
Mammoet was selected for the task due to its extensive experience and successful track record on similar projects worldwide, particularly in using airbags and winches for vessel launching. A team of local and international experts was assembled, bringing a wealth of knowledge.
Mammoet used 68 airbags and four winches, with capacities ranging from 60t to 85t, to retrieve and launch each barge from the pond. Airbags were placed under the bow of each barge and, once all cables were connected, two winches pulled the barge out of the water to a point where eighteen climbing jacks were positioned. Once the barge was retrieved it was jacked up to allow the airbags to be removed and SPMTs (Self-Propelled Modular Transporters) were inserted underneath.
The SPMTs then transported each barge to the launch area, to be set afloat. The launch process mirrored the retrieval operation and this was repeated for all 12 barges.
Despite unforeseen weather conditions, Mammoet adhered to a strict schedule, demonstrating agility and commitment. Mammoet not only met the tight deadlines but also played a key role in a transformative project that increases Singapore’s landmass.
