The parcel industry in Scandinavian countries was for a while put at risk by a law in Sweden which suddenly restricted truck weights to a maximum of 40 tonnes and a length of 16.5 metres from an original maximum weight of 50 tonnes and 25 metres in length. This would have caused major problems with cross border travel from Denmark and Norway as many of the delivery trucks would not have been able to cross into Sweden and for those that would be able to travel the resultant drop in cargo per truck was estimated to require another 500 trucks in Norway alone.
The uproar has made life very difficult between the different nations and the people involved in the transport business in Sweden were extremely concerned that the extra traffic on the road would be a major problem. The Governments of Norway and Denmark have made significant representations to the Swedish Government and eventually common sense seems to have prevailed and the law has been repealed and things will return to normal at the beginning of September.
Parcels to these Scandinavian countries are a major business for the United Kingdom and the repeal of this law will keep the parcel shipping prices at the low level, which prevails at present. Many of the parcels delivered from the UK goes by truck as well as air freight so this is an important concession to the reduction in prices.
The parcel industry can deliver parcel to Sweden in a very short time and the standard cost is around 18 per kg for a single kg parcel but for a 30 kg parcel the rate is only around 35 which is 3.50 per kg if a good worldwide parcel courier is used. The Swedish industry has always been very good technically and they have been at the forefront of industry so the requirement for a good parcel service is paramount to this business alone. This also applies to the other Scandinavian countries as the whole area is an important centre in the European Community.
The Northern Countries have worked very hard within the EU and rely on having equal rules and regulations within the EU so that they have an equal playing field to enable them to survive as a strong trading unit. The resolution of what at first appeared a simple problem but which later threatened to leave Sweden short of goods is welcome.