The government in Norway says the bill is part of its action plan against social dumping in the transport sector.
As it stands, road transport inspectors in Norway only have the authority to issue fines for a few select infringements. All other road transport violations must be reported by the inspectors to the police. This is of course inefficient and time-consuming.
If the legislation is voted through as planned, without major amendments, the inspectors will be able to issue fines for illegal cabotage on the spot.
“Increased use of infringement fines results in good and efficient enforcement of the rules, which in turn leads to more level playing field. This benefits the serious players,” said Jon-Ivar Nygård, Norway’s Transport Minister, commenting on the proposals.
“Transports that violate cabotage rules are illegal and must be stopped. When violations of the rules can be easily ascertained at the control point, and there is no need for a police investigation, this can be solved effectively with increased use of infringement fees. The Ministry of Transport is therefore working on a regulation to introduce this.”