In an official statement regarding the operation, the authorities said that they found at least five drivers from the inspected hauliers that appeared to be working illegally in the Netherlands.
During weekly rest, the drivers slept in the cab of the truck or in the garage of the transport company, which is of course prohibited. The guilty parties also flouted tachograph rules and forged documents.
The first inspections by the aforementioned organisations took place in Bulgaria, with checks in the Netherlands taking place almost immediately afterwards. According to the authorities, information from both countries was required so as to get a good picture of how the transport companies operated and which rules they may not have complied with.
The ILT found issues with 3 tachographs and has issued fines in relation to this. In addition, the ILT will prosecute at least one of the inspected companies for driving without a license and committing forgery. Moreover, a penalty has been imposed for driving without a valid permit. If that weren’t enough, the Labour Inspectorate, together with the ILT, is currently conducting further investigations into the legality of the wages and working hours of the companies’ truck drivers.
The Bulgarian Labour Inspectorate and the Bulgarian Road Traffic Inspectorate have, among other things, investigated the business activities of the Bulgarian-owned firm. According to the ILT, it is presumed that the business has acted as a letterbox company and that its organization and management are actually from the Netherlands.
The authorities believe the Bulgarian entity may have been intended as a means of evading the Dutch minimum wage and the payment of social contributions. This matter is being further investigated by the authorities.