Philippe De Backer, Belgian secretary of state for the fight against social fraud, wants to use data from the Viapass system to combat unfair transport practices.
De Backer in an interview with Belgian VTM television announced that he wants to use information from the toll system to fight social dumping in the transport industry. How? The secretary announced that data from Viapass would be made available to employees of the social inspection.
According to De Backer, it is possible to immediately find out how long the driver moves on the road to Belgium. This, in turn, will help to see if the trucker complies with the rules governing working and rest time.
Appropriate regulations that will ensure automatic exchange of information between services are already in preparation – informs diariodetransporte.com.
Intelligent night rate
In addition, the Secretary of State, once again in an interview for VTM, advocated the introduction of a „smart night rate.” According to him, trucks moving on the Belgian roads at night should be subject to lower fees than during the day.
Editor’s comment:
Whether the Secretary of State De Backer took into account defective devices for handling tolls and constant problems with the toll collection system, it is difficult to say. It remains to be hoped that their improper functioning will not lead to unfair mandates.
It would also be good if the Belgian authorities would remember what social dumping is and is not. It is certainly not legal to delegate employees to another European Union country, i.e. to Belgium. However, manipulating and forcing employees to ride without cards in tachographs, is considered as a reprehensible practice. Contrary to the imaginations of many Western politicians, carriers from Central and Eastern Europe are not the only ones that are guilty of such behavior. Recent reports show that companies from the Old Union countries in this respect also have a lot on their conscience.