Germany’s Federal Association of Freight Transport, Logistics and Waste Disposal (BGL) is reportedly looking into legal mechanisms it can use against the obligation to have blind spot stickers on trucks in France.
According to eurotransport.de, the BGL’s move also has the backing of France’s road transport association, the FNTR.
Since the beginning of the year, trucks and buses over 3.5 tonnes have had to be marked with eye-catching black, red and yellow stickers, including foreign ones. Those who don’t risk a fine of 135 euros or more. You can find more on the rules in our guide here.
BGL board spokesman Prof. Dr. Dirk Engelhardt told German website Euro Transport that he and his colleagues doubt how useful the stickers are:
We are not convinced that these stickers are useful for road safety. They don’t do anything.
Engelhardt also believes the French authorities provided information on the sticker requirement very late, which gave the industry little time to prepare.
Moreover, the BGL boss also reports that the stickers or notice boards with magnets do not stick very well to vehicles. As a result, the BGL has ordered a large number of stickers with significantly better adhesion and offered them to its companies in its truck shop.
According to the BGL, the implementation leaves a lot to be desired as companies also have to attach blind spot stickers to trucks equipped with a turning system. The stickers have to be attached in several places – on the front, on the sides and on the rear. “This makes the trucks look like dangerous goods trucks or circus wagons,” says Engelhardt.