Brussels, 17/01/2012 (Agence Europe) - Heavy goods drivers will now be able to use an online complaints desk hosted by the International Road Transport Union (IRU) and the Euro Control Route (ECR) to report checks or sanctions that they consider to be unfair.
The European Union has long had rules on driving and work time and on the use of tachographs, which are used to monitor rest times are being properly observed. These rules must be implemented in the same way throughout the EU so that there is fair competition and also to ensure road safety and protect the working conditions of professional drivers. Monitoring how the rules are applied and any sanctions imposed as a result of infringement has not been harmonised, however, weakening the European measures.
The European Commission is aware of the differences in how checks are carried out and in sanctions imposed, and, indeed, has sought to review the tachograph legislation to reduce the risk of fraud. The proposals seeking to revise the rules are currently under discussion in the Council, and the Danish Presidency intends to take this issue forward. The IRU and ECR initiative could not have come at a better time, then, to support European policies.
“Harmonised enforcement to complement the common EU regulatory framework is instrumental in enabling transport operators to do their job properly, efficiently and with certainty. Fines should be fair, proportionate, yet dissuasive to effectively improve regulatory compliance”, said IRU General Delegate to the EU Michael Nielsen.
In giving transport operators the opportunity to report disproportionate fines and sanctions, the associations hope to be able to gather information that will ultimately help make checks more consistent and fairer. The aim of the online complaints desk is not, then, to open objection procedures or to appeal against penalties: “Our goal is to understand what is really happening in road side enforcement and remedy control practices that might need to be corrected. It's only through international cooperation (…) that we can achieve this”, pointed out acting ECR General Delegate Gerard Schipper. (MD/transl.rt)