The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) has described the truck trial at a disused airfield in Manston in the UK as “bonkers”.
89 lorries arrived at Manston Airport near Ramsgate in Kent early on Monday to line up along the runway before driving along the A256 towards Dover.
The trial, called Operation Brock, is testing out the site as a mass HGV holding bay to ease congestion on roads to Channel ports.
IRHA President Verona Murphy said the trial was “of no help and totally frivolous” given that the sample of 89 trucks bore no relation to the thousands of lorries that passed through Dover every day.
“It is totally and utterly bonkers,” said Ms Murphy.