The European Parliament Committee for Transport organised a public hearing at the end of November, during which the floor was taken by, among others, Ferenc Lajkó himself, the president of a Hungarian transport company Waberer’s. He presented his point of view on the Mobility Package and the consequences for the industry related to the introduction of its provisions.
Commissions of the European Parliament organise public hearings with the participation of experts, if they deem it necessary for works concerning a specific subject. Experts and representatives of a given industry speak at the meeting and discuss the key issues.
At the end of November, such a hearing was led by the EP Transport Commission (TRAN). It concerned the market and social aspects of the Mobility Package. Among the opinions of trade union representatives from all over Europe (including IRU, the French FNTR, and the Portuguese ANTRAM) there were also opinions from the industry. Ferenc Lajkó, the head of the Hungarian company Waberer’s, also expressed his opinion on the subject of the new EU legislation. In some matters, many Polish carriers and drivers will certainly agree with it.
Consequences of the Mobility Package
Road transport represents 71 percent of the EU transport sector, and according to forecasts its share will continue to grow, partially thanks to the growth of e-commerce. As emphasized by Lajkó, 65 percent of long-distance transport in Western Europe (1000-6000 km) is carried out by transport companies based in 13 EU countries.
In his presentation „Social and market aspects of the Mobility Package from the perspective of a responsible transport operator,” Ferenc Lajkó accuses the European Commission primarily of the fact that it creates regulations in isolation from the economic context.
In the opinion of the head of Waberer’s, the introduction of regulations from the Package will contribute, among others, to:
– a radical increase in the costs of freight and logistic services,
– inflation,
– disturbances in the European supply chain,
– reduction of global competitiveness in the EU.
Cabin Lodging
According to Lajkó, the provisions proposed by the EC do not improve the working conditions for drivers, they only force them to leave the vehicle for 45 hours of regular weekly rest.
And in the EU there are not enough hotel rooms, which drivers would benefit from during the week’s pause,’ said the Hungarian entrepreneur. ‚Drivers, when they are on the road, consider the cabin as their home, so leaving it for 45 hours does not help them to benefit from rest,’ Lajkó added.
The Hungarian also raised the issue of safety of the vehicle itself, the transported cargo, fuel, and personal belongings of the driver. The number of thefts in the EU is still growing, and the situation is exacerbated by illegal refugees, posing a threat to truckers on the roads in Western Europe.
This is an infinite number of problems that we face every day and which the Mobility Package does not address at all!’, Lajkó thundered.
A similar opinion on the ban on receiving 45-hour regular rest in the cab was expressed during the hearing by Pedro Polónio, head of the Portuguese transport organization ANTRAM. According to the Portuguese, drivers should be able to spend their weekly pause in the cabin, due to the safety of cargo and the truck, as well as to the lack of adequate accommodation infrastructure in Europe.
Polónio also stressed that the interior equipment standards had clearly improved in the last three decades and often provided drivers with more comfortable conditions than a roadside motel.
source: www.europaparl.europa.eu
Delegation Directive
As regards the inclusion of transport workers in the directive on the delegation of workers, Lajkó expressed the same opinion as Polónio. According to them, it is impossible to apply the provisions on delegation in international transport.
Companies will have to deal with about 20 different national legislations and up to 50 remuneration systems!’, Lajkó warned.
Moreover, according to the Hungarian entrepreneur, the application of the principles of the directive on the delegation of workers to the road transport sector (drivers’ remuneration) should be taken into account only within a structured framework and cannot be detached from the economic context. Here, Lajkó recalled last year’s GDP per capita figures from several EU countries:
| Countries of European Union | GDP per capita in 2016 |
| Germany | 34 400 Euro |
| France | 31 800 Euro |
| Hungary | 11 000 Euro |
| Romania | 7 600 Euro |
An appeal to politicians
At the end of his presentation, Ferenc Lajkó appealed to the EU authorities, which the Polish transport industry representatives would certainly agree with:
Not political ambitions but trade, development, competition, and other economic factors combined with arguments based on professional knowledge should be taken into account when decisions are taken that will affect the future of transport!