Hauliers Fear Crisis Over EU Rules

08-07-2005

The Road Haulage Association is appalled that the European Parliament has voted to end the use of the opt out. Recent experience of drivers being restricted to the 48 hour week has shown that it is a bureaucratic nightmare for drivers and employers alike.

The Government has estimated that the 48 hour week for drivers has an on-going cost to the road transport industry exceeding £1bn per annum, but the true costs have yet to be realised.

This coupled with the ever increasing fuel prices has put increased pressure on companies that are already on the brink of collapse. It is predicted that if nothing is done, the haulage sector will shrink from 4500 companies today to around 2250 by 2010.

It is suggested that by using rail for some parts of the journey, road hauliers could be able to reduce and manage the costs and operating restrictions of the new legislation, but this is by no means a guarantee, and inevitably some companies will fall by the wayside.

If the legislation does go through, road haulage operators will need to produce evidence that their drivers are working within legal working hours limits. This can be costly in both time and money, however, time and attendance systems are available, which automatically record the working times of employees and produce accurate reports on demand.

Back