Industry leaders have reacted furiously at the EU as it plans to increase carbon taxes on commercial road transport in the next few years. They argue that it is unjust to increase carbon taxes before clean low carbon solutions for road freight and coaches are widely affordable.

       While zero-emission electric and hydrogen fuel-cell heavy-duty vehicles are available, these tend to be prohibitively expensive for most companies.

       Part of the reason for the higher price tag is the fact that they are not yet produced at the same level of scale as heavy-duty fossil fuel-based vehicles.

       Furthermore, many in the industry are sceptical about these electric vehicles.

       They are particularly hesitant about whether the technology is suitable for long-distance journeys, especially given Europe’s limited charging infrastructure for alternative fuels.

       For these reasons, HGV drivers are reluctant to make the shift to greener vehicles.

       At a conference organised by the International Road Transport Union (IRU), Alexander Klacska, the CEO of Austrian logistics company Klacska Group criticised the EU’s plans.

       She said: “The European economy is based on competitiveness, and to be penalised without having alternatives just demolishes that competitiveness.”

       Jos Sales of the Luxembourg Federation of Bus and Coach Operators (FLEAA) agreed with this sentiment, saying that there must be green options available prior to implementing punitive taxes.

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       In July, the European Commission revealed a set of green laws that were aimed at cutting the EU’s carbon emissions by 55 percent by 2030.

       Under these proposals, fossil fuels will become more expensive while road sector carbon emissions will be priced under a new EU carbon market.

       The green package has not yet been approved by the EU member states and the European Parliament before it is put into effect, in a democratic process that usually takes about two years.

       Mr Klacska warned that some of these new rules could result in HGV drivers being taxed for the same emissions several times.

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       For this, he cited the increased excise taxes on fuels, the Emission Trading System (the EU’s carbon market), and tolling charges.

       He said: “Double taxation, double pricing, from my point of view, it’s a no-go. You can have a price on a commodity once but not twice, three times, four times."

       However, EU leaders rebuked this stance, some of whom disagree with the idea that HGV drivers should not pay a gree tax for their emission simply because they do not have an alternative.

       European Parliament lawmaker Peter Liese, who is the Parliament’s lead on the EU’s proposed revised carbon market, the Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), stated that this is “not serious”.

       He said: “I’ve been doing climate policy for many years and no sector that was included in the ETS said ‘of course we can do it, the technology’s there, let’s go’.

       "They all argued, like the road transport sector, that no alternatives exist."