Spain: 2000 euros for spending the weekly rest in the cabin – in force from today!

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The ban on weekly rest spent in the cabin has already come into force in Spain. Breaking the ban is punished more severely than in other EU countries. The Royal Decree No. 70/2019 amending the Road Transport Act, ROTT  was signed on February 15 and published in the Spanish Journal of Laws yesterday, February 21. It introduces the implementation of the ban on taking regular weekly rest in the cabin of the truck.

The Spaniards announced introducing the implementation of the ban on accommodation in the cabin a year ago. Then, they planned to make the regulation enter into force on July 1, 2018. Due to the extended work on provisions related to access to the profession of a carrier, this deadline was postponed to January 1, 2019. However, the ban did not come into effect until February 21, 2019 – until the publication of new regulations in the Journal of Laws.

As the  Spanish and Portuguese transport organisations reported, the fine for spending a 45-hour rest in the cabin is equivalent to the penalty for the lack of weekly rest. And this is 2 thousand euros – twice as much as the ASTIC, the Spanish transport organisation announced in December.

Also, according to the Portuguese ANTRAM association, the Spanish control services will be authorised to perform controls on former weekly rests. The driver has to be able to prove that he spent the previous 45-hour rest outside the vehicle.

We are waiting for the Spanish Ministry of Transport to confirm this information.

Fines for a week’s rest in the cabin

Let us remind you what penalties drivers face for taking a 45-hour rest in the cabin.

The Belgians charge for a night in a truck in June 2014. The penalty for breaking the ban is 1.8 thousand euros.

In France, the amount of the fine for spending 45-hour rest in the cabin reaches even 30 thousand euros, however, the average amount of is approx. 2.3 thousand euro. This violation has been punished since July 2014.

The Germans introduced the ban on 25 May 2017. In the event of breaking the ban, both the driver and the carrier are punished with the fine of 500 and 1.5 thousand euros respectively.

Italian regulations, on the other hand, provide for fines ranging from 425 to 1701 euros (that is, up to around 7.3 thousand zlotys). In addition, the driver is not to resume driving until the break has been properly completed

In Great Britain, however, fines are imposed only on drivers who spend a week’s pause in a truck parked in a forbidden place. The fine for this violation is 300 pounds.

Photo: Trans.INFO

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