In March 2024, the Italian Motor Vehicle Registry recorded the registration of 2,610 industrial vehicles with a total mass exceeding 3.5 tons, marking a 0.9% decrease compared to the same month in the previous year, as announced by Unrae. The association, upon analyzing the market segmented by vehicle weight, highlighted an 8.6% contraction in vehicles weighing between 6.01 to 15.99 tons. Conversely, vehicles weighing 16 tons or more, which constitute 87.4% of the market, experienced a 1.2% decline, totaling 2,280 units. However, there was a 65.7% increase in vehicles weighing up to 6 tons, though this only accounted for seventy registered units.
Paolo Starace, president of the Industrial Vehicles Section at Unrae, remarked, "The numbers for March corroborate the initial forecasts for the year and mirror the challenges faced by the road transport sector. A decrease in heavy vehicle registrations could have severe consequences if not promptly addressed with market support measures." He also emphasized the perception that the transportation sector's needs are not prioritized by the current government, calling for urgent actions to stimulate the market and facilitate fleet renewal.
According to Starace, the absence of support measures places our companies at a disadvantage compared to international competitors who benefit from significant incentives, including exemptions from tolls for new-generation vehicles with very low or zero emissions. Faced with this scenario, Starace draws attention to the necessity for initiatives to renew the vehicle fleet in Italy, in line with the European Union's environmental goals.