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Drivers' hours rules relaxed for another week - http://www.roadtransport.com - January,10
A temporary relaxation of drivers' hours rules will be extended until midnight on Monday for operators involved in the delivery of road salt and other essentials being used to cope with the current spell of bad weather.
Last week, the Department for Transport (DfT) had introduced what it describes as a "staggered relaxation of temporary, and limited, emergency relaxation" - but not a suspension - of the enforcement of EU drivers' hours and working-time rules for drivers working in a variety of sectors.
The enforcement relaxation will now be extended until 23:59 on Monday 18 January for drivers:
Distributing road salt
Distributing animal feed from animal feed manufacturers to farms
Distributing de-icing products direct to airports
Distributing heating oil and liquid petroleum gas (LPG)
Of bulk milk tankers
The move follows a concerted campaign by, among others, Scottish National Party MP Angus Robertson, who acted on behalf of Ballindalloch, Banffshire-based haulage firm AF Grant, which specialises in transporting de-icer products used to clear runways and planes throughout Scotland.
Initially, the rules were only relaxed until midnight on Monday 11 January.
Fred Grant, director of AF Grant, tells Roadtransport.com that he welcomed the relaxation of drivers' hours rules, but had urged the DfT to consider extending the rules throughout this week.
"We deal with the small airports in the Western Isles and they all need to remain open for air ambulance services throughout the winter," he insists. "I cannot remember this level of snow in 21 years. The problem has become an emergency."
Gregory Distribution chief executive John Gregory says its bulk milk tankers were finding it difficult to access remote rural roads to milk farms for deliveries.
But Liam Quinn, of Quinn & Sons in York, says: "The government has only extended the hours because they are in [trouble]. They did not extend this to the industry last year when we were all looking for work and that was as much of a crisis for us as this is for the government."
He adds: "The queues to load grit last week were a joke. It is sapping for a driver to drive in these conditions, but it gets the government out of a problem."
How the rules will be relaxed:
EU daily driving limit of nine hours will be replaced with one of 10 hours
Daily rest requirements will be reduced from 11 to nine hours
The weekly and fortnightly driving limit will be lifted to 56 and 90 hours
Further weekly rest requirements will be postponed until 23:59 Monday 18 January, at which stage a driver has to take a minimum rest of 24 hours
A driver must now take a minimum rest of 24 hours, beginning no later than the end of the eleventh day since the end of their last weekly rest period
Christopher Walton
Email at christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk
Powered by RoadTransport.com
Last week, the Department for Transport (DfT) had introduced what it describes as a "staggered relaxation of temporary, and limited, emergency relaxation" - but not a suspension - of the enforcement of EU drivers' hours and working-time rules for drivers working in a variety of sectors.
The enforcement relaxation will now be extended until 23:59 on Monday 18 January for drivers:
Distributing road salt
Distributing animal feed from animal feed manufacturers to farms
Distributing de-icing products direct to airports
Distributing heating oil and liquid petroleum gas (LPG)
Of bulk milk tankers
The move follows a concerted campaign by, among others, Scottish National Party MP Angus Robertson, who acted on behalf of Ballindalloch, Banffshire-based haulage firm AF Grant, which specialises in transporting de-icer products used to clear runways and planes throughout Scotland.
Initially, the rules were only relaxed until midnight on Monday 11 January.
Fred Grant, director of AF Grant, tells Roadtransport.com that he welcomed the relaxation of drivers' hours rules, but had urged the DfT to consider extending the rules throughout this week.
"We deal with the small airports in the Western Isles and they all need to remain open for air ambulance services throughout the winter," he insists. "I cannot remember this level of snow in 21 years. The problem has become an emergency."
Gregory Distribution chief executive John Gregory says its bulk milk tankers were finding it difficult to access remote rural roads to milk farms for deliveries.
But Liam Quinn, of Quinn & Sons in York, says: "The government has only extended the hours because they are in [trouble]. They did not extend this to the industry last year when we were all looking for work and that was as much of a crisis for us as this is for the government."
He adds: "The queues to load grit last week were a joke. It is sapping for a driver to drive in these conditions, but it gets the government out of a problem."
How the rules will be relaxed:
EU daily driving limit of nine hours will be replaced with one of 10 hours
Daily rest requirements will be reduced from 11 to nine hours
The weekly and fortnightly driving limit will be lifted to 56 and 90 hours
Further weekly rest requirements will be postponed until 23:59 Monday 18 January, at which stage a driver has to take a minimum rest of 24 hours
A driver must now take a minimum rest of 24 hours, beginning no later than the end of the eleventh day since the end of their last weekly rest period
Christopher Walton
Email at christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk
Powered by RoadTransport.com
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