International Trade

Road To More Haulage Regulation

April 2007
Phil Hastings, International Trade Today

UK exporters and importers employing road transport to move their goods across Europe should note that further changes to EU rules covering the hours that commercial vehicle drivers are allowed to be at the wheel are due to take effect this month.

In particular, they should be aware that, under the latest legislation, all parties in the transport chain, including consignors and freight forwarders as well as hauliers, will be required to take responsibility for ensuring the laws governing maximum working hours, required rest breaks, etc, are adhered to in full.

However, in a related development, the UK government has now backtracked on an apparent earlier threat to subject all companies actually operating commercial vehicles to automatic liability and prosecution for any offences committed by their drivers under the new regulations.

The latest EU legislation covering truck drivers’ hours, Regulation 561/2006, is said to be primarily designed to tidy up the previous rules and make them easier to understand and apply. However, the UK Freight Transport Association (FTA) warned that the new legislation, in fact, includes ‘the most significant and substantial changes in the rules which regulate lorry drivers’ time at the wheel, breaks and rest for many years’.

The new EU regulation also makes minor changes to the rules covering the rest periods for multi-manning operations, ie, where a vehicle has two or more drivers, and for rest periods that are interrupted by ferry crossings.

In addition to the specific rules changes, according to the UK Road Haulage Association, the latest EU legislation also highlights the responsibilities of the whole transport chain when it comes to European trucking operations and drivers’ hours/rest periods.

The new regulation recognises that operators can often be put under undue pressure, particularly by... continued on page two >

 

 

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