Italy clamps down on weekend reefers
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• British reefer operators running into Italy face long delays after changes to the country's weekend lorry ban.
Last Saturday (August 30) the Italian Government slapped a total ban on heavy goods vehicles running on the nation's roads at weekends and public holidays following a dreadful accident that claimed seven lives.
Heavy goods vehicle movements were already restricted in Italy during non-working days, but until last weekend exemptions were possible for operators carrying perishable goods and emergency supplies.
Now the only vehicles exempt from the ban, which runs from midnight an Friday to midnight on the following Sunday, are fuel tankers carrying a full load on emergency work.
UK fridge operators who cannot get out of Italy before the weekend now face a 48hour delay before their vehicles can continue their journey.
British operators are already concerned the ban will have a serious long-term effect on their traffic movements.
Andrew Southall, traffic administrator for Fransen Transport (UK) of Kidderminster, which regularly runs to Italy, says that although his drivers managed to avoid the ban last weekend "the prospects don't look very good".
One UK operator already bit by the ban is Aston Clinton Haulage. One of its vehicles was stopped by Italian officials on its way home last Sunday. After a short delay the driver was allowed to continue his journey.
According to AC H's Denis Weller it is "just another factor to bear in mind when planning schedules, although it could cause problems".
There is some doubt among the hauliers CM has spoken to as to how well the ban will be enforced. Fransen reports that there is also a question as to whether it is being implemented on all roads or just motorways.
The ban comes amid a rising tide of public indignation in Italy against what is seen as irresponsible and dangerous behaviour by a minority of truck drivers — although there is no suggestion that they are foreign drivers.
The latest accident occurred when an Italian truck ploughed into a minibus near Rome Airport killing seven people — including a nineyear-old girl. Witnesses claim the truck had been racing with another vehicle before the crash.
Commenting on the accident Italian interior minister Oscar Luigi Scalfaro said: "This massacre must stop. Anyone found responsible for creating danger on the roads must pay the penalty by having their right to drive taken away."