Burden on indust
Page 7
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
THE NEED for tachograph charts to be numbered in sequence and recorded in a register looks like being one of British operators' bigger objections to the EEC Commission's proposals for revised drivers' hours and tachograph regulations, reports ALAN MILLAR.
The EEC plans were discussed by the Freight Transport Association's national council last week, and this emerged as one of the main bones of contention. The PTA has long complained that it would be an unnecessary burden on operators, and one which would achieve little, if anything.
But the council — unlike the International Road Transport Union committees, which have already reported back to the EEC (CM, May 5) — has given a strong welcome to the proposal loran increase in the driving day from eight to nine hours.
This, it said, was extremely welcome and would lead to a major improvement in operating efficiency.
It is less happy about the concession to work for 10 hours being limited only to two days, as it believes there is scope for more flexibility, but has yet to come down firmly in favour of a more liberal line.
While the FTA is not being specific, it may be that a 90-hour fortnight, with more flexible hours being worked within that, would be a possible line of attack for the FTA, and this may emerge when its formal response is communicated to the Department of Transport It has welcomed the planned switch from a rolling week to a fixed week, but believes the present plan to have this run from midnight Sunday to midnight following Sunday is inappropriate to British needs.
A better solution, in its view, would be to make this run from midnight Saturday, as international journeys more often start on Sundays. This may be an area in which Britain could seek a derogation.
It opposes the plan to establish one-hour minimum breaks after four and a half hours' work, as it believes half an hour is sufficient.
But it likes the proposed removal of trailers from the 3.5-tonne threshold for complying with tachographs and hours regulations, as this will remove such anomalies as Range-Rover/horsebox combinations running to show-jumping events.