Containment measures in Europe have significantly reduced the movement of commercial vehicles. According to data from Verizon Connect, fleet manager by GPS, these trips have been reduced by 50% over the first period of confinement on the continent (February 18-April 7). In detail, French commercial drivers were the most affected, with a 58% decrease in hours spent on the road.
Read also: How to ensure the fluidity of the transport of food goods during a coronavirus period
Next come the English (-55%) and Spanish (-54%) drivers. Conversely, these containment measures had a significantly lower impact for German drivers, whose journeys were only reduced by 11%. " The dramatic drop in driving hours has clearly demonstrated the general impact that Covid-19 has had on the European economy, " said Derek Bryan, vice president of the sales section at Verizon Connect.
Since the end of this period, the figures have started to rise sharply. And it is France that is benefiting from the strongest recovery, notes Verizon Connect. Between April 7 and May 5, still during confinement, the hours spent on the road for commercial trips in Europe rose by nearly 200% for French drivers. The recovery was slower in the United Kingdom (+ 22%) and Spain (+ 33%).
Read also: In 2019, the "Macron cars" transported for the first time more than 10 million passengers
In mid-April, the government had released 390 million euros in cash flow measures for road transport. Among them, the quarterly and no longer semi-annual reimbursement of the internal consumption tax on energy products (TICPE) and the three-month postponement of the tax on road vehicles.