News

Drivers and operators covered by domestic driving hours' legislation have expressed "grave concerns" that the Government has confirmed it will begin reviewing their regulations this autumn. The rules cover drivers not included in the EU Drivers Hours directive and mainly apply to essential public services carried out by the utilities sector, highways maintenance and local authorities.

A decision was made in a white paper some time ago to undertake a review and now the Department  for Transport (DfT) has said it will begin shortly. The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has adopted a cautious stance on the announcement, but it admits worried members have contacted the association demanding to know why it is happening.

The FTA's head of road freight policy, Joan Williams, says: "We will be going into the review with an open mind, looking at the evidence and assisting the DfT to provide information to help determine any issues that require change."

The FTA says driver safety, appropriate working conditions, fair competition, difference between Great Britain and Northern Ireland's domestic hours' rules and minimising regulatory burden will all be looked at, with a government announcement on its conclusions towards the end of next year. Key stakeholders will form a steering group, comprising trade associations and unions and will inform stakeholders of developments

Williams says the affected sectors breathed a sigh of relief when the decision was made not to include them in the EU Drivers Hours directive. But now the spotlight has been turned on them again. She adds: "Some companies are sitting there wondering what's going to happen. In the context of UK law, they thought they had sorted it all out. Now there's a period of uncertainty again."