Road Transport : reform of the european key on the working conditions adopted

The reform poses a series of rules on the secondment of drivers and / or the time of rest. It aims to fight against unfair competition between drivers.

A reform of the european major on the working conditions of truck drivers, including their rest time, has been adopted by the european Parliament, despite the opposition of the eastern countries, which have fought until the end.

meps approved on Wednesday night the "package mobility", which focuses on the detachment of drivers, their time of rest and a limitation of cabotage, that is to say, the fact for a carrier to perform multiple loadings and unloadings in a country where he arrived in the framework of an international delivery.

unfair competition

Proposed by the european Commission in may 2017, the reform has given rise to a fierce battle between two camps, the Western countries (France, Germany, Benelux) accusing those in eastern Europe (Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania) to social dumping, while the latter said they had to be disguised protectionism.

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The new rules require including enterprises of international transportation of the goods to arrange to allow drivers to return home at regular intervals (every three or four weeks). If the driver is away from his home during his period of compulsory weekly rest period, the business must pay its hosting fees.

To prevent the "cabotage systematic", seen as unfair competition, a waiting period of four days will be introduced before other cabotage operations may be carried out in the same country with the same vehicle. The new rules also introduce the registration of border crossings by tachograph to combat fraud.

Rules on the secondment of drivers

in the fight against letter box companies, these transport companies will need to have activities consistent in the member State where they are registered. The trucks will also have to return to the operational centre of the business every eight weeks.

the rules on The secondment of drivers (providing compensation according to the rules of the country where they work: the minimum wage, but also to premiums) shall apply to cabotage and to international transport operations, with certain exceptions, including for transit.

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The provisions on rest time will apply 20 days after publication in the official journal of the EU, which will take place in the coming weeks, while those on the secondment and the return of trucks shall apply 18 months after this publication. The guidelines prepared by the european Commission to clarify provisions of the reform must be published in the autumn.