1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190 
WTD details finally hit the streets
Page 7
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
THE GOVERNMENT has finally published the draft regulations on the Road Transport (WorkingTune) Directive which is scheduled to come into force in just five months.
Opinion on the regs is deeply divided. The major transport associations welcome the flexibility apparently offered to operators in the draft document, but the unions warn that drivers' views have been ignored.
Transport Minister David Jamieson says the new regs include a "simpler, more transparent method of calculating average working time".
But the United Road Transport Union describes the regs as "disappointing". URTU general secretary Bob Monks says: "[They] are nothing more than a gloss on the existing drivers' hours regulations.The whole area of periods of availability leaves the barriers up for an unscrupulous employer to drive a 44-tonner through with impunity, leaving the poor driver working the same or more hours than previously done so.
James Hookham, policy director at the Freight Transport Association welcomes the "common sense" in the rules. However, he will consult with ministers in a bid to exclude training from working time and to include emergency provisions. He will also ask if daily and weekly rests apply to all crew members, not just drivers.
But he concludes: "Our message is that while we have got these three outstanding issues, they are very much small beer compared with massive leaps we have made."
The Road Haulage Association agrees that the government has listened to the industry's concerns over flexibility.
There will now be a minimum six-week consultation period for interested parties to comment further on how the Working Time Directive will he applied to road transport.
• For a full WTI) analysis see next week's issue.