Mobility Package 1 is in force and the social provisions on driving times and rest conditions of drivers have been applying since 20 August 2020.
We prepared the following first set of Questions and Answers to address most pressing implementation questions raised by the sector. This will be gradually complemented by further questions and answers on the other provisions of Mobility Package 1, where necessary.
It should serve as the guide for drivers, road transport operators and enforcers to ensure that the rules are applied and controlled in a harmonized manner throughout the EU.
Return of the driver to the company’s operations centre or his/her home (20.08.2020) The Mobility Package requires the carrier to organise the drivers’ work in such a way that they are able to return to the operations centre (base) or his/her place of residence in order to take the required appropriate rest. During this time […]
From today, Thursday 20th August 2020, there will be some changes to EU Drivers Hours rules. These include: A major reform of the EU road transport sector, known as the mobility package. The new rules will improve drivers’ working conditions, introduce special posting rules for drivers in international transport, and update provisions on access […]
As soon as Mobility Package was adopted by the European Parliament on July 9, 2020, it was reported in all the media. Almost every report was overwritten with a statement that is so general and out of context that it does not correspond to the truth. And the key message of the heading was often […]
A deal between Parliament and Finnish Presidency negotiators on reforming the road transport sector was approved by the Transport and Tourism Committee on Tuesday.
The revised rules for posting of drivers, drivers’ rest times and better enforcement of cabotage rules (i.e. transport of goods carried out by non-resident hauliers on a temporary basis in a host member state) aim to put an end to distortion of competition in the road transport sector and provide better rest conditions for drivers.
EU Mobility Package
The negotiators from the EU Parliament and member states have agreed on a compromise on the controversial reform of the rules for truck drivers. After years of inquiries and difficult negotiations, EU countries have agreed on new rules for the road haulage sector. The new rules will be introduced in 2021 and will also cover Switzerland, Norway and Iceland.
Fines for cabin camping only in the act
Negotiators of the European Parliament and the Council did not find a compromise on planned reforms for road freight transport during the nightly meeting. Above all, the flexibility of drivers’ driving and rest periods is controversial. The EU Parliament and Council negotiators met in Strasbourg on Monday to Tuesday night to discuss their positions on the planned reforms to road freight transport. However, the seven-hour meeting failed to deliver a breakthrough, according to the Transport Review by Ismail Ertug, Deputy Group Chairman of the S & D Group in the European Parliament. When and how it will continue, is currently not foreseeable. There will probably be another meeting in one to two weeks.
Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Latvia and Lithuania oppose part of the changes.
The “Macron Package” introduces new rules for posted drivers, including a higher minimum wage and regulation of their stay in proper accommodation or in Safe and Secure Parking Places. The most contentious issue is the return of empty trucks to their country of origin once every four weeks. This would prevent transport companies from Central and Eastern Europe from providing their services to the market of Western Europe, the so-called “cabotage”. Read more
Transport and mobility policies look set to go into overdrive under the next European Commission, as a heady mix of climate change ambition and competition concerns dictate the direction of travel. This is what the vision looks like.
Incoming Commission President Ursula von der Leyen built support for her candidacy by pledging to put green policies at the heart of her five-year-long mandate. Her nominations for Commissioners have largely reflected that promise.
“It is great to see the challenge being recognised in the appointment of Timmermans as vice-president for the EU Green Deal. This is a major assignment. Reaching climate-neutrality won’t be easy,” according to policy analyst Annika Herdberg. Read more
In light of the European elections, IRU and ETF – the EU social partners for Road Transport – call on the European Commission and Parliament to put enforcement at the top of the EU transport agenda for the next legislative term.
Enforcement is the mechanism by which authorities ensure that rules are being followed and applied. In mobile services like road transport, it can be difficult for inspectors to keep track of activity, but the digitalisation of enforcement will be a game changer. New technologies will make it easier to ensure fair and efficient implementation of the European rules applicable to commercial road transport operators and drivers, which could offer a better functioning EU road transport and logistics market. Through digitalisation and the use of widely interoperable data platforms and risk-rating systems, enforcement could better target threats and risks and therefore become more efficient. Read more
Truck cabin camping, spending 45 hours of rest (or longer) in the cabin, is banned by the European Parliament, even if it happens in a secure parking place. That is one of the results of the vote that the EP held on Thursday about the Mobility Package.
“We can see that the European Parliament understands some aspects that have helped the market, but limits the necessary flexibility to others” Read more
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