EU hours moves and driver
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drought are set to hit costs
by Karen Miles • Operators should brace themselves for a double squeeze on costs following widespread reports of driver shortages and notice from Brussels that new employment laws could add billions of pounds to annual costs.
The Freight Transport and Road Haulage Associations both say the North, the Midlands and the South-East are suffering driver shortages, but operators everywhere are saying that job applications have dwindled over the past couple of months. "Pay is not rising yet but what you'll see is an improvement in conditions," says the RHA.
In the longer term, last week's proposals from the European Commission on reducing drivers' working time to a 48-hour maximum working week could cost industry up to 1:5bn a year (CM 17-23 July).
"There is already a shortage of drivers and the problem will become compounded if the 48hour week becomes law," says the FTA.
Night driving could he restricted if EU transport ministers approve the Commission's proposals on limiting drivers' working time. Apart from reducing the average driver's working week by up to 12 hours, the Commission wants stringent EU rules on night work to be applied to drivers.
Truck drivers who work for at least three hours between 00:00-05:00hrs on a regular basis will not be able to work more than eight hours in 21, and they will be entitled to free health checks.
If they become law, these proposals could derail plans by an increasing number of operators to use night driving to avoid peak-time congestion.
TNT, for example, schedules most of its night runs between 19:30-22:30hrs and again between 02:00-06:00hrs.