EU hours limit for transport
Page 7
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
by Miles Brignall • The Government wants UK transport workers to be covered by the EL: Working Time Directive. This could massively reduce the hours UK drivers could work and would have the greatest impact on the haulage industry since the tachograph regulations were introduced.
Last week Transport Minister Gavin Strang told delegates at the Freight Transport Association's annual conference that the Government wants to extend the directive to cover all professional drivers. Central to the current proposal is a 48hour maximum working week.
The original white paper published by the European Commission exempted transport workers, but the most recent statements from Brussels suggest they are to be included.
Strang's announcement was the first by a UK Transport Minister. He stressed that drivers would only be included after the details had been "carefully thought through".
Warning that the transport sector had to remain flexible, he said safety had to be the first concern: a driver who was overtired should not be on the road.
FTA head of policy Owen Thomas, who has been involved in detailed discussions in Brussels on how the directive would be implemented, says it is too soon to predict the likely impact on hauliers.
Among the main problems is how owner-drivers would be regulated in relation to those employed by firms.