Organisations from across Europe’s road transport industry have continued their criticism of France and Germany’s requirement for some truckers to present negative coronavirus tests.
As it stands, lorry drivers travelling from Austria, Spain, Portugal, the Czech Republic and the UK must all present evidence of negative coronavirus tests to enter Germany. France are asking the same of drivers from the UK and Ireland.
This has resulted in long queues of HGV drivers waiting in the cold to get their tests.
Madness continues on the #Brenner Pass between ?? & ?? due to misguided German #covid restrictions: Truck drivers wait for mandatory tests. Let drivers do their job & keep goods moving without tests – that is the safest solution. @bgl_logistik @Transport_EU pic.twitter.com/tA2QkQ3P6H
— IRU (@the_IRU) February 19, 2021
The Hegelmann Group are among those in the industry who believe delays caused by the restrictions will cause supply chain problems:
We are no longer able to deliver according to demand. All of this could quickly lead to bottlenecks in the supply of supermarkets and factories, with far-reaching consequences for the economy .
Eugene Drennan, president of the Irish Road Haulage Association, has described the current approach as “disjointed”:
This disjointed approach to antigen testing is causing long delays at borders in continental Europe. For example, there are currently approximately 800 trucks stuck in a queue on the Italian border due to drivers having to wait to get antigen tests done – even though they may have already passed an antigen test only hours previously.
Sabine Lehman, Managing Director of the Association of Bavarian Transport and Logistics Companies, is equally critical of the requirements:
The scenario has been repeated here since Sunday night, which brought the EU to the brink of economic collapse a year ago and was actually considered to have been overcome.
Germany’s Federal Association of Freight Transport, Logistics and Waste Disposal (BGL), together with the Federal Association of Spedition and Logistics (DSLV), had already criticised the new border restrictions earlier this week.
Photo credit: Petr Kudrhalt / YouTube