Taking your lorry abroad
Page 32
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4: Czechoslovakia, Denmark and France
30TH HIRE and reward and own-account verators require permits to operate in 3zechosloyakia. A few types of traffic, iowever, are exempted. Those include maccompanied trailers and semirailers; traffic for airports; the carriage of uggage in trailers drawn by passenger:arrying vehicles; the carriage of teenaged vehicles and works of art; )ublicity and educational material ogether with goods for fairs or ?xhibitions; the carriage of animal :arcasses for disposal; funeral transport; Ind household removals.
Permits, which are valid for six months, 'now British operators to carry to, from Ind through Czechoslovakia. They are aermitted to accept a return load from zechoslovakia and they may also take an inladen vehicle into the country to pick up load. Cabotage is prohibited. In the case if third-country traffic, this is permitted irovided special authorization has been ibtained from the Czechoslovak transport iuthority whose address is: Federalni ilinisterstvo Dopravy, Na Prikope 33, }rague 1, Czechoslovakia (tel Prague !122, telex 11096).
Because the traffic to Czechoslovakia las to pass through West Germany, iperators need to hold a West German lenera I quota permit for transit purposes. "hese are readily available to owniccount operators heading for :zechoslovakia, but not to hire and eward operators..
If the vehicle to be used weighs less an 6 tons laden, then a non-quota West ierman permit will be issued for transit urposes.
Operators may consider a road-rail ermit application for transit through iermany; it is more easily come by than a eneral quota permit. Further information n this aspect of West German permits iiIl be given in CM November 8. The Czechoslovak authorities request ritish operators to avoid, as much as ossible, movements between 2pm riday and 9pm Sunday. Because of the ilateral arrangements, details of which re contained in Command 7474, British perators are not required to pay vehicle Ix in Czechoslovakia, but must pay fuel 3 x and toll charges where appropriate. he Command is obtainable from HMSO, rice 121/2p.
Denmark is one of the 14 countries there haulage permits are not required y British operators. The Danish greement contained in Command 5198 HMSO price 10p allows traffic to, from nd through Denmark; it also allows 3-turn-load traffic and movements etween the Republic of Ireland and
Denmark by British operators — but no other third-country traffic. Cabotage is prohibited.
Unlike most other European countries, Denmark does not allow the unrestricted entry of empty vehicles for return loads. Such vehicles must be fulfilling a contract included before entry or restrict their activities to the movement of those rare cargoes for which other countries such as Czechoslovakia do not require permits.
Vehicles not exceeding 6,000 kilos (5.91 tons) may enter empty and engage in any type of traffic other than cabotage in that country. British operators are not required to pay any vehicle or transport taxes in Denmark.
Less liberal
Among the European countries, France is one of the less liberal to British operators. Nevertheless, UK vehicles may carry goods to, from or in transit through France, and pick up a return load after delivery in France; UK vehicles may enter France from another country with an empty trailer for a return load. However, if a British operator wishes to enter France with an empty trailer direct from the UK, it must be in fulfilment of a contract concluded before entry.
British operators are also permitted to engage in third-country traffic provided this is contained in an agreement between Britain and third country. They must not engage in cabotage.
All these movements, of course, are restricted by the requirement for haulage permits in France, which except for a few specified traffics, are required by both hire and reward and own-account operators. The exempted traffic once again includes airport goods luggage and trailers; damaged vehicles; mail; valuable goods; animal carcasses; refuse and sewage; emergency medical supplies; and funeral transport.
General quota permits are required for journeys to or through France whether or not the vehicle is accompanied. The only exception is when an unaccompanied trailer or semi-trailer is pulled in France by a French, Dutch or Belgian registered tractive unit. However, since there are insufficient general quota permits to meet British demands, new applicants will not be entertained until an additional allocation has been made or established operators drop out. If extra permits are negotiated by the DoE, notice to apply in December will appear in CM before then.
One way to operate in France without too much permit difficulty is by co
operating with a French haulier. Cooperation permits are readily available on the basis of one permit for each return load which the British operator passes to a French operator. Details of the scheme are available free from the International Road Freight office of the DoE in Newcastle. The reference is F-COOP.
French operators who are interested in return loads from Britain register with their trade association.
Details of these operators can be had from Association Francaise des Transporteurs, Routiers Internationaux, 44 Rue de la Bienfaisance, Paris V11 le, tel 522-81-00. Other readily available permits are those issued for operations on the French Kangourou service. This accommodates unaccompanied trailers and semi-trailers and details of the scheme can be had from Novatrans (Europe) Ltd, Room 66-67, Albert Buildings, 49 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4N 4S8. This organization also supplies permit application forms.
General quota permits
French permits are generally available for one journey only. However, general quota permits count as 50 journey permits but the holders can use them for an indefinite number of journeys. Period permits have attached to them a journey record sheet — GV 104— and one sheet must be completed for every journey made. When travelling in France, the record sheet must be attached to the permit.
If France is a transit country for a British load, then applications for both the French permit and the destination country permit must be made jointly to the IRFO in Newcastle.
France allows the import of registered vehicles and trailers free of import duty, deposit, carnet de passage or triptique for up to six months, and British operators are not required to pay vehicle tax in France. It may, however, be necessary for them to pay VAT on the loads, but this does not apply either to transit traffic or to French export traffic.
Restrictions on the movement of heavy vehicles applies in many parts of France on public and local holidays, also at weekends (CM October 11). Details of general limitations can be obtained from Ministere des Transports, 244 Boulevard St Germain, Paris Viii e, France. The British bilateral agreement information is contained in Command 4324, obtainable from HMSO, price 121/2p.