In a joint letter to the main organisations of Italy’s maritime and logistics supply chain, including Assarmatori, Assiterminal, Assologistica, Confitarma, Federagenti, Federlogistica and Fedespedi, six Ligurian transport associations (ALIAI, ASSOTIR, CNA Fita, Confartigianato Trasporti, Lega Cooperative and Trasportounito) stressed that Law 105/2025 “is clear and leaves no room for interpretation”.
Law 105/2025 introduced mandatory compensation for excessive waiting times during loading and unloading operations. It sets a 90-minute grace period for each operation; once that limit is exceeded, hauliers are entitled to €100 per additional hour or fraction thereof.
The law also makes both the shipper and the party responsible for loading jointly liable for payment, extends accountability to cases where waiting is caused by the inactivity of other supply-chain actors, and allows carriers to prove arrival times through GPS or smart tachograph data. It further strengthens penalties for late payments in the sector and lays the groundwork for fleet-renewal funding schemes.
“These provisions are a fundamental safeguard for protecting the professional integrity and safety of truck drivers and the economic sustainability of businesses in the sector,” the organisations wrote. They also warned that “evasive practices or attempts to delay the effective implementation of the rule will not be accepted.”
Federlogistica urges compliance
Federlogistica-Conftrasporto, which represents Italy’s major logistics companies and port terminals, responded positively to the Ligurian appeal. Its national president Davide Falteri said in comments reported by the Italian press that the changes introduced by Law 105/2025 “represent essential protections for the regularity, professional safety and economic sustainability of road-haulage companies.”
“Too often,” he added, “hauliers have been forced to accept extreme operating conditions and waiting times incompatible with an efficient and competitive system.”
Falteri urged logistics operators to “fully accept and apply the rule” governing truck waiting times, and to revise contracts and procedures “to avoid incurring extra costs that have become particularly burdensome and were not included in financial plans.”
National associations echo the call
The Ligurian initiative follows a national appeal issued by UNATRAS, the umbrella coordination of Italy’s road-haulage federations. In a letter dated 7 October 2025, UNATRAS wrote to Transport Minister Matteo Salvini, warning of “differing interpretations by other parties in the supply chain” that are “creating confusion and putting the weaker contracting party – the haulier – in difficulty”.
UNATRAS urged the ministry to reaffirm “the non-derogable nature” and “full effectiveness” of the new rules, stressing that they require no further implementing measures.
The organisation also reminded the government of the still-pending €590 million fund for fleet renewal promised under the Decreto Infrastrutture.
Portugal and Spain already enforce waiting time rules
The proposed Italian regulation echoes measures already implemented in Portugal and Spain in recent years. Portugal’s Decree 57/2021, which came into force in September 2021, prohibits HGV drivers from performing loading and unloading activities, imposes a two-hour maximum waiting time, and allows hauliers to claim compensation for delays.
The level of compensation in Portugal is determined based on vehicle weight and type of transport, ranging from €12 to €40 per hour. For delays exceeding 10 hours, an additional 25% is added for each subsequent hour.
The decree also requires waiting areas to be equipped with toilets and waiting rooms.
In Spain, a similar regulation came into effect in September 2022. The Spanish legislation prohibits drivers of vehicles over 7.5 tonnes from performing loading and unloading operations and introduces mandatory compensation for delays exceeding one hour at distribution centres.
Prior to this change, the threshold had been two hours. The regulation also includes provisions for revising transport contract prices in line with fuel cost fluctuations and enforces compliance with the EU Mobility Package, including rules on driving and rest times.
