As of: April 8, 2024, 4:43 p.m
By: Marco Blanco Ucles
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You often see it on the motorway: on trucks you can often see a blue sign with “TIR” written on it in white letters. But what does it mean?
On long car journeys you have one thing in particular: time. That's why people like to observe their surroundings on the highway. Anyone who frequently travels on the motorway will have probably seen a sign with the inscription “TIR” attached to the front or rear of a truck. They are the abbreviation for the French terms “Transport Internationaux Routiers”.
The blue sign with the inscription “TIR” can be seen on many trucks – but what does it mean? © IP3press/IMAGO
In German, “TIR” means something like “international road traffic,” explains Thorsten Peter from
KÜS
to
t-online.de
. The blue traffic color has a special designation, RAL 5017. But what is the purpose of the sign? To put it simply, it is intended to make it easier to transport goods across multiple countries. For example, if a truck has to bring goods from Germany via France, Spain to Portugal. The sign is currently valid in around 60 countries - including the entire EU. Without the sign, the truck would have to stop at every border, open the loading area and have the goods checked, explains
Auto-Motor-und-Sport
. This takes an enormous amount of time.
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However, if the sign is attached, the truck driver only has to show the sealed loading space and the customs document Carnet at the border and can continue driving straight away. The cargo space therefore only has to be opened again in the destination country. The system was introduced in 2018. But how much time does the system really save? A lot! According to a study by
NELTI,
truck drivers can use this system to save around half the time when crossing borders compared to before. In addition to simplified measures for trucks, there are also options for drivers to save time on toll roads in southern Europe.
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According to t- online,
there are clear specifications for the nature of the sign
. The sign must be 25 by 40 centimeters in size and sturdy; a simple sticker is not enough. Again and again you come across trucks on the road - which will soon be threatened with stricter CO₂ rules - and whose TIR signs are either folded in or crossed out diagonally with adhesive tape. This means that the vehicle is not currently traveling an international route.
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Animals can also be transported using the TIR procedure. Of course, due to species-appropriate animal husbandry, the cargo space is not sealed.