LETTER OF THE WEEK
Page 12
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Do Sunday truck bans work on the Continent? Only if you’re on holiday!
I READ WITH interest DS Boyes’ letter in the CM 2 August issue regarding European driving bans. I thought it was worth explaining how these pointless bans have such a negative effect on the international road transport industry and the drivers who have to work with the bans on a daily basis.
Firstly, our drivers are sat from 10pm on Saturday until midnight on Sunday, and legally they could have driven and got home a day earlier.
You would have thought that when the EU drivers’ hours rules were being formulated they would have considered these European Sunday driving bans – or was it just a case of ‘let’s reduce the drivers’ working week and introduce the 45-hour weekend rest break as well’ just to put the inal nail in the international operator’s cofin?
We have weak policy makers in London, which make us the laughing stock of Europe. We still do not levy foreign trucks for driving on UK roads. Surely this would help UK hauliers, rather than increasing fuel duty?
If we allow trucks (including foreign trucks) to run on a Sunday, maybe the next time someone is in Brussels on a jolly they could casually ask the French, Italian and German transport ministers if they knew what a inancial effect these driving bans have on international transporters, and educate them on how well it works over here.
My points are proved when you see the amount of English, French and Italian international hauliers that have ceased trading since the enforcement of the 45-hour weekend rest break. Coupled with these pointless weekend driving bans and the useful European holiday driving bans, which are normally on a Friday or Saturday in Italy, France, Austria, Germany and Luxemburg, this means you can’t drive in certain countries from Thursday evening until Monday morning, effectively giving the haulier a four-day week to operate in.
And then people wonder why hauliers are always complaining about not making money and that they are closing down.
The thought that anybody thinks these bans are acceptable, legally or inancially, is beyond me – unless you are not in the business and you drive a car pulling a caravan at the weekend. “Ban? It works on the Continent” – only if you’re on holiday! Not if you’re trying to run legally, make money and keep your drivers happy.
Kevin Hopper (pictured) MD, Brian Yeardley Continental
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