Latest news from Brussels on the Mobility Package
Negotiations in Brussels for the new Mobility Package are in full swing. It will be refocused on existing proposals and ideas and new points will be added. And all under self-imposed time pressure. Because the European Parliament wants to vote on the position paper on 04.06.2018.
Then both the Council and the Commission will present their positions or comment on Parliament’s position paper. In the so-called trialogue negotiations, all positions on the individual topics are therefore examined, changed or even accepted.
Meanwhile, there are new compromise proposals on the part of Parliament and the rapporteurs.
1. The initial reduction in the weight limit, from which Regulations (EC) 561/2006 and (EU) 165/2014 are to apply, has been modified. For national traffic, it remains at 3.5 t, only for cross-border journeys, the two regulations should apply from a maximum authorized mass of more than 2.4 t.
2. Once again, the request was made to the Commission to propose, at a certain point in time, a new change in driving time and rest periods, taking into account autonomous driving.
3. As far as the weekly rest period is concerned, no weekly rest period should be allowed to be spent in the vehicle in the future. Instead, this can be spent in suitable accommodation with sanitary facilities, which must be provided or paid by the employer. Alternatively, the Weekly Rest Period may be spent in the vehicle when the rest period is placed on a suitably certified parking space and the vehicle has a suitable sleeping accommodation.
4. The idea of splitting the break was also modified: the division into 3 x 15 minutes should still be possible. However, the first valid 15 minutes must not be taken or counted before the expiration of 2 hours of driving time in this division.
5. The ferry regulation should then be applied for a weekly rest if the ferry crossing takes at least 12 hours.
6. In the period of the due date of a weekly rest period, a distinction is made between trucks and buses. The transport of goods is based on a 4-week period in which at least 2 regular weekly rest periods have to be taken. For passenger transport, it remains a two-week period in which at least one regular weekly rest must be.
7. A compensation for a reduction of the weekly rest period should in future be attached to a regular rest period.
8. During the rest period on the ferry/train as part of the “Ferry / Train Regulation, ” the use of the symbol is to be prescribed in the future.
9. The entry of the country at the border crossing shall be inserted at the next suitable place under the symbol “Start Land”.
10. The retrofit requirements for the “smart tachograph” are now dependent on the currently installed tachographs. However, the retrofit requirements only apply to vehicles that are used across borders. Existing tachographs must, therefore, be replaced in two stages by 2023 at the latest against the “smart tachograph” version 2.
Conclusion:
The topic, therefore, remains exciting. How many changes will be made by 04.06.18 is uncertain. However, the current proposals and compromises by no means mean that they will later be included in the regulation. Because as mentioned in the beginning, actually wrestling and tug-of-war only start with the trialogue negotiations.
https://www.prodrivers.ie/blog-driving-and-rest-times/