Commenting on the possibility of stricter controls, Lars William Wesch, director of ATL, told road transport website Transport Magasinet “To put it mildly, the industry does not need more control and larger fines”.
Rune Noack, policy manager at logistics provider DI Transport, also spoke to Transport Magasinet. He called for limits to introduced with respect to minor violations:
“We lack a clear description of a limit for minor violations. For example, if working hours are inadvertently extended by loading or unloading. It can not be the purpose of the law to impose fines for very small violations,” Noack told Transport Magasinet.
The policy manager added:
“We already have capacity problems in the field of transport and it [strict monitoring/policing of drivers’ hours rules] serves no purpose but to aggravate them by scaring drivers away by adding to the number of fines. It serves no purpose for companies to be punished extra harshly in this area when a fine ceiling is a well-known principle in other areas.”
Both the ATL and the DTL wish to see a transition period before the new strict monitoring sees fines imposed.
“We recommend an indicative check for a period. Companies must adapt to change after many years with other control rules, and therefore it is only reasonable with a transition period,” says Lars William Wesch, the ATL’s Industry Director.
Photo: Midt-Vestsj. Politi