Irish hauliers say VOSA has cabotage rules all wrong
Page 7
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
IRISH HAULIERS have accused VOSA of misinterpreting cabotage rules. Since May this year the EU has allowed hauliers visiting another member state to carry out up to three domestic jobs within seven days once they complete their international delivery.
Eoin Gavin, Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) president, says VOSA has got it wrong. His operation, Eoin Gavin Transport, sends artics from Shannon to the UK. Typically, the driver drops his trailer at Manchester and returns to Holyhead with a backload where he picks up another trailer for UK delivery. VOSA counts unaccompanied trailer collections as domestic jobs. Gavin says they should be treated as international consignments.
The IRHA has asked the Irish Department of Transport to raise the issue with the UK Department for Transport. But Peter Cullum, RHA head of international affairs, says: "The new rules are to stop fake establishments.”