Combat illegal practices in road transport and help improve the working conditions of drivers. Here is the content of the rules approved yesterday by the Transport Commission of the European Union (Tran), which represent a part of the ‘Mobility Package’. To become law, the text approved by the Transport Commission must obtain the approval of the plenary session of Parliament and must be discussed with the Transport Council, the body which, including the direct representatives of the various governments of the countries of the Union.
On the transnational posting of drivers, the text provides for the application of the principle of “equal pay for the same job” , therefore for cabotage, to the driver who delivers goods to another member state after a cross-border delivery, the same remuneration rules apply as for drivers from the host country. However, the Commission voted against extending this obligation to international transport, which therefore remains fully subject to the salaries of the country where the driver is employed.
MEPs also proposed changes to ensure rest conditions best for drivers. For example, companies will need to organize their schedules so that, once every three weeks, drivers are able to go home or to another place of their choice for a weekly rest. For greater flexibility, MEPs have foreseen that drivers can complete the return journey if they are close to the base of operations, as long as an additional rest time is added to the next rest period as compensation.
The rules aim at intensifying roadside inspections and checks, as well as accelerating cooperation between national authorities to combat fraud relating to working hours, rest periods, cabotage and posting of drivers.
To address the issue of letterbox companies (i.e. companies incorporated in another member state to cut costs related to e.g. tax laws, while the main business is conducted in another state), businesses will be obliged to have a concrete presence in the member state where they are registered.
The draft law provides a limited list of administrative requirements and control measures that Member States can impose on operators regarding posting, in order to avoid excessive bureaucracy.
For the digitization chapter, it was established that technologies are used more efficiently to lighten the load on drivers.
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