According to the information received from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Warsaw the ban on spending a week break in the track has not yet entered into force.
According to the Embassy of Germany, the law accepted by Bundesrat on 31 March has not yet been published in German Journal of Laws (Gesetzblatt in German). Therefore, the ban is not yet in force.
The publication date is still not known, although there are already amounts of fines for not abiding the ban in the official catalogue of fines for 2017.
We will notify you as soon as we receive information about the date of the ban entering into force.
We would like to remind you that German police will be punishing both drivers and company owners for “spending the weekly rest in the vehicle or a place unsuitable for sleeping”. The fines will amount up to 60 Euro (for the driver) and up to 180 Euro (for the company owner) for each hour of rest in the cabin or other place unsuitable for sleeping (without sanitary facilities or accommodation).
German associations are glad but…
According to verkehrsrundschau.de German transportation and logistics associations, BGL and DSLV applaud the ban on spending the weekly rest in the cabin but have some reservations regarding the Act which introduces it.
According to the head of the Federal Association of Economy, Transport and Logistics (BWVL) Detlef Neufang, the act is “formally okay” but it is necessary to clarify the matter of appropriate sleeping conditions. According to Neufang the term “unsuitable for sleeping” leaves a freedom of interpretation which may be used by drivers.
Dr Adolf Zobel, head of the Federal Freight Transport and Logistics Association (BGL) treats the German ban as a sign that such a solution will be introduced throughout the European Union, informs verkehrsrundschau.de.
It won’t help anyone if each country uses different regulations. A uniform European solution is a must” – says Zobel.
However, according to the DSLV association It is the effectiveness of inspections carried out with the ban in mind that will be decisive for the evaluation of new regulations. According to the head of the transport section in DSLV, Markus Olligschläger, the inspections should be carried out in close cooperation of police, customs officers, BAG (German Federal Office for Freight Transport) and labour protections institutions.
Another point of view
Also Gerhard Grünig, editor-in-chief of verkehrsrundschau.de has also talked about the ban in “VR Point of view” According to him the new regulations will not bring the desired effects for two reasons. Firstly, they are “only national” and not EU regulations, and secondly it is impossible to conduct inspections in this regard. The editor-in-chief says that BAG currently employs 220 inspectors who are already stretched out thin due to all their tasks.
Photo: Mercedes-Benz
