Truck operators breathed a sigh of relief this week as the government announced there would be no changes to the way the Working Time Directive (WTD) is implemented. The Department for Transport (DfT) had come under great pressure from trade unions like URTU to cut the flexibility currently offered to hauliers by Periods of Availability (POA), which they see as a loophole open to abuse.
However, the government ignored the union lobbying in favour of retaining the status quo, albeit promising
sterner enforcement. A statement from the DfT says: "...there was no evidence to suggest that any major changes were needed or to justify a change to the existing interpretation of periods of availability."
Nick Graham, chairman of the FTA's road freight council, says: "Everyone has got used to it operating effectively, it would have been destructive to change that unless needed." URTU has claimed that the review "identified substantial abuse of the law", despite the report stating otherwise. The DfT says VOSA will be given a greater role in enforcing the WTD.
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