A few days ago, a report from the well-known Hjort law firm came out in the Norwegian media. The report contains information on Girteka offenses that have taken place in Norway since 2015. The case became well-known when it turned out that since then the Lithuanian carrier had only one case.
Hjort has checked the Lithuanian carrier for violations in three registers. It used data from the Labor Inspectorate, the police, and the criminal record, containing information on fines issued to drivers. The mother company of Girteka Logistics and its subsidiaries: Trasis, Termolita, Girmeta, KLP Transport and ME Transportas found themselves under the magnifying glass of lawyers.
According to the report, since 2015, Norwegian authorities have recorded only one violation that took place in 2017. A vehicle checked in the municipality of Troms performed the fourth cabotage transport in a row, which means breaking international rules. ME Transportas received a fine of 20 thousand Norwegian Krone (about 2 thousand euros).
It is interesting that during the last three years, the Norwegian Labor Inspectorate carried out 17 inspections, during which it was checked whether Girteka drivers were paid according to the minimum rates for performing cabotage in Norway (158.32 Norwegian Krone, or about 16 euros per hour). The results of the inspection were positive – no violations were found.
Reliability of the report
The report, which contains virtually no negative information about the Lithuanian carrier, was ordered and paid for by Girteka itself, which may somewhat undermine its credibility. On the other hand, we are talking about a reputable law firm and government registers. The information contained in the report has been checked by the editors of Transport Magasinet. Experts confirmed their compliance with the data of the registers, although they stipulated that some cases of offenses due to prolonged proceedings could not yet be found.
In addition, not without consequence is the fact that in the case of foreign carriers in Norway, usually truck drivers are punished, not their employers. Thanks to this, the carrier does not get into the register and from a legal standpoint, it is clean as a whistle.
Photo: Mercedes-Benz
