PURPOSE: to adapt and clarify the social rules in the Union in road transport in order to improve the business and working conditions in the sector.
PROPOSED ACT: Directive of the European Parliament and of the Commission.
ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with Council.
BACKGROUND: driving and resting times of drivers are regulated under EU law. Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 (the 'Driving Time Regulation') and Regulation (EU) 165/2014 on tachographs are part of a wider effort to improve the working conditions of drivers, ensure fair competition between operators and improve the road safety of European roads.
An evaluation the effectiveness and efficiency of the implementation of the existing set of Union social rules in road transport, identified certain deficiencies in the existing legal framework. Unclear and unsuitable rules on weekly rest, resting facilities, breaks in multi-manning and the absence of rules on the return of drivers to their home, lead to diverging interpretations and enforcement practices in the Member States.
The objective of this proposal is to rectify the identified shortcomings and to help improve the working and business conditions in the sector in order to make the road transport sector fair, efficient and socially accountable.
IMPACT ASSESSMENT: the preferred option is a combination of two policy options: the first focused on strengthening enforcement, whilst the second established sector-specific criteria for posting workers in road transport and provides for specific enforcement measures.
The impacts of the preferred option include improving the working and resting conditions of drivers (decrease in fatigue index by 28% and in periods away from home by 43% for EU-13 drivers and by 16% for EU-15 drivers).
CONTENT: the proposal introduces a limited number of modifications to Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 on driving time and Regulation (EU) No 165/2014 on tachygraphs.
Driving time: the main amendments proposed are as follows:
Tachygraph: the proposed amendments aim to improve the features of 'smart' tachographs to make it possible to more precisely position vehicles used for cross-border transport operations.
The proposal adds an obligation on drivers to record in a tachograph the position of their vehicle after having crossed a border, at the earliest suitable stopping place.