News

The UK version of the European drivers' hours laws, 561/2006, was to be debated in the House of Lords on Tuesday this week after CM went to press. At the Commons debate last week, the government stated it would seek a derogation for professional drivers involved in the reserve armed forces, but this may take 18 months to achieve. The EU legislation came into force in April, but the UK bill was delayed by typographical errors according to the Department for Transport.

Transport Minister  Stephen Ladyman MP said last week: "I have asked that the exemption apply to the weekly rest requirements in Article 8.6. This would enable a driver who finishes his normal driving duties on a Friday to complete a 36-hour period of training as a volunteer reservist or as an instructor in the Cadet Corps during the weekend then resume his normal driving duties again on a Monday morning.

Conservative peer Lord Attlee had opposed the bill on the grounds that professional drivers would effectively be prohibited from taking part in the reserve forces. Lord Attlee says he will still remind the House that, until an exemption is won, the Territorial Army in particular will be affected by the rest stipulations of the drivers' hours regulations. It is also believed that the owners of vintage and recreational vehicles will be unnecessarily hit with the cost of sealed and calibrated tachographs despite their vehicles doing only low mileages with no commercial pressure.