As reported by Italian state broadcaster RAI, the ludicrous rule is included in article 157, paragraph 7 of the Highway Code. Those that break this law can be punished with a fine ranging from €216 to €432.
The details of this section of the Highway Code are detailed on the Italian Automobile Club Website.
“The reports we receive from hauliers is that fines of over 400 euros are multiplying. They are guilty of waiting for their load with the engine running to find relief from the heat, a practice that we know is prohibited by the Highway Code,” Franchini recently told the Italian press.
According to Franchini, the latest such example occurred at Castelnuovo di Garfagnana. It is said that a lorry driver had been waiting for hours for the loading/unloading process to be completed and only had the engine running in order to withstand the scorching temperatures during the recent heatwave.
“These days, with the air conditioner turned off, the cabins of vehicles in sunlight can reach temperatures close to 50 degrees, an unlivable situation that literally puts the lives of drivers at risk, both when resting and waiting for a load,” stresses Franchini.
The Ruote Libere – L’Autotrasporto spokesperson has thus called for common sense to be applied and for legal changes to be made to protect drivers:
“Protection of the environment is certainly important, and in general, stationary vehicles must remain off. But here we are talking about an essential need for lorry drivers. Consuming diesel fuel to survive the heat should not be a crime and being fined for this is nonsense.”