In its report published on Tuesday 23 July, the European Commission is of the opinion that the issuing of temporary driver cards is currently effective and has no negative impact on the labour market.
These cards are issued by the Member States to drivers carrying out activities falling within the scope of the Regulation on the harmonisation of social legislation relating to road transport. They store electronic data on driver activity, including driving and rest time, speed and distances travelled. The issuance process ensures that drivers hold a single and personal driver card to operate a vehicle with a digital tachograph.
This system not only facilitates efficient monitoring of compliance with EU road transport regulations but also helps safeguard driver welfare by enforcing rest periods and reducing the risk of fatigue-related accidents. Driver cards are issued by the Member State where drivers have their “normal residence”.
The analysis shows that drivers of “normal residence” in India, the Philippines and Ukraine were the primary recipients of these cards. The Commission says that Member States can benefit from this provision, which can facilitate their response to driver shortages, provided that EU law is fully respected.
This provision helped 540 Ukrainian drivers to continue their professional driving activities immediately after the start of the Russian-led war against Ukraine.
To read the report: https://aeur.eu/f/d6w (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)