The announcement by transport minister, Mike Penning, that he will leave the domestic drivers’ rules unchanged has been dubbed a “victory for common sense” by the Freight Transport Association.
Over a year ago a review was launched into the rules for goods vehicle drivers in Great Britain that are exempt from EU drivers’ hours legislation.
FTA participated in the Department for Transport steering group on the subject and consulted with members whose operations are subject to domestic drivers’ hours rules. The overwhelming response was that there was no need for change, a view which the Association fed back to DfT.
James Firth, FTA’s head of road freight and enforcement policy, said: “The minister’s announcement that the rules are to remain unchanged – an outcome which FTA pressed for – is a victory for common sense. The Department found no evidence that there would be any detrimental effect on road safety in keeping the rules as they are, and agreed with us that any further restrictions would risk imposing unreasonable burdens on industry.”
