The federal government, however, sees it differently. She wants to rely on inland waterways and rail transport for transport through Germany, as a spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture told t-online. One expects more from these two traffic routes than from trucks.
Representatives of agricultural logistics cannot understand this. In order to be able to fully exploit the potential, all paths must be promoted, said t-online entrepreneurs and industry representatives who wish to remain anonymous. The agricultural policy spokesman for the Union parliamentary group, Albert Stegemann (CDU), says: “The roads cannot solve the problem, but they can alleviate it.”
Because the rail network in particular is already completely overloaded without additional transports from the Ukraine. According to Transport Minister Wissing in May, DB Cargo is working on transporting large quantities of grain in the future and is already driving on behalf of private grain exporters. At the end of May, however, DB Cargo also informed its customers that there would be months of interruptions in central corridors due to construction work, as the “Handelsblatt” reported. The agricultural logisticians doubt that agricultural products from the Ukraine can be transported to an even greater extent via the rail network.
Capacity increase of 15 percent possible
As early as April, they proposed certain measures to the federal government to increase the transport capacity of trucks. Goods transport on the road is also struggling with massive problems: there is a lack of drivers – and since Russian and Ukrainian workers have been lost due to the war, the situation has worsened.
In addition, the harvest season will soon begin in Germany. The agricultural logisticians demanded that trucks should be allowed to be overweight. Instead of 40 tons, they should be allowed to weigh 44 tons. If you subtract the weight of the vehicle, this corresponds to a capacity increase of 15 percent.
The figure of 44 tons was not chosen arbitrarily: Trucks in Germany are tested for this weight. In addition, trucks that transport goods to or from trains already weigh 44 tons. In certain emergencies, such as after a big storm, timber transports can also get this special permit. The agricultural logisticians have now also hoped for one, limited to six months.
Ministries block initiative
But the ministries blocked the initiative in May, as t-online learned: The Ministry of Transport pointed out that even a temporary increase could overload the German road network. According to the ministry, an exception for grain exports is not manageable.
In addition, the ministry refers to the principle of equal treatment: If the agricultural sector gets an exception rule, others want it too. In its reply, the Ministry of Agriculture referred to the decision made by the Ministry of Transport and added: The food supply in Germany is basically secured, despite the corona pandemic and the Ukraine war.