Brussels, 31/08/2006 (Agence Europe) - The EU Court of Justice will shortly rule on violations of the working time rules for heavy goods vehicle drivers in nine EU countries, including seven old Member States, said Szabolcs Schmidt, a European Commission official, on 29 August, according to a press release from the Socialist group in the European Parliament. At a hearing on international road transport organised by the Socialist group, British Labour MEP Stephen Hughes said it was “absolutely shocking” that so many Member States had failed to put the working time directive into national law. According to the press release, heavy goods vehicle drivers told the hearing how unscrupulous hauliers exploit drivers: illegally paying them by the kilometre, imposing unrealistic deadlines, overloading lorries etc. The press release says that drivers from the new EU Member States are particularly subject to this exploitation. Dutch trade unionist Jan Heilig told the conference of a Polish driver paid only €400 per month by a Dutch company, and Dane Leif Rasmussen revealed that Estonian drivers are paid wages well below negotiated Danish rates and forced to live in containers.