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Photo: Polizei Bayern

Lorry driver could be fined up to €50,000 for a year of drivers’ hours violations

A Slovenian lorry driver who was subject to an inspection in Germany last week was found to have cut his mandatory his weekly rest period short for 4 consecutive weeks. For those violations, he received a 4-digit fine. However, a more thorough check by the authorities later revealed the driver had made “even more blatant" violations over the past 12 months. According to the police, it is possible that the fines for those drivers' hours breaches could add up to as much as €50,000.

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The inspection occurred on the night of October 18th and 19th on the A7 near Illertissen.

According to the police’s report, a quick check revealed that the 42-year-old Slovenian lorry driver was “probably someone who was not too particular about the rest time regulations.”

Data from the last 4 weeks showed that not once had the required weekly rest period of 45 hours been taken. On each occasion he had shortened his weekend rest by 24 hours, something that is only permitted every two fortnight provided the missing hours are made up.

As a consequence, the driver was handed a fine in the “mid four-digit range”.

The regular breaches of drivers’ hours rules may nonetheless prove to be a lot more expensive.

The inspectors continued to study the driver’s records, checking up to a year of data. This uncovered “even more blatant violations” of the regulations. The police note that “mathematically” the violations would entail a fine of €50,000.

The final fee is not known; the man’s fate now rest with the BAG, who will look at the matter further and confirm the value of the fine.