The purpose of the new rules is to regulate truck drivers’ work and rest regimes as well as to provide equal access to the profession and local markets. Thanks to the new regulations, an international truck driver will be entitled to better business trip compensation, especially when market wages in the country of delivery are higher than the driver’s home country.
New rules applicable from 2020
employer to cover costs for weekly night rest for the drivers
allowed with two short week rest periods, must be compensated within the 3rd week.
drivers to return to home country every 4 weeks
daily and weekly driving hours can increase with one hour to be able to get home for weekly or daily rest
Main part, fundamental to road transport, will be applicable from February 2022
stricter rules for cabotage
change in the working-hour regulations for drivers
introduction of a permit and tachograph in vans
obligation to return trucks to the company’s headquarters every eight weeks
return of the driver to the country of origin will be mandatory every 4 weeks
salaries for drivers for cabotage and third-country driving shall be at the level of the country where the transport is made
tightening of the rules for «postal companies»
manual registration of all trucks passing borders in Europe
New rules applicable from 2023
introduction of digital tachograph with GPS in all vehicles
Expected side effects for all rules
for trucking companies operating in West Europe, it will be more interesting to have a base in West or Central Europe rather than the Baltics or South-East Europe
the driver shortage is expected to increase due to a lower productivity of current drivers
increased pay for non-working days will demotivate working equal days per year, which would result in lower productivity per driver and therefore the need of employing more drivers to keep the same number of trucks running full-time
the truck shortage in West-Europe will increase due to the return home requirements (more trucks driving to and from home countries). For PL companies it could be 2/40 days or 5%, for other countries it may hit even up to 10%
the per diem payment for drivers will be replaced by higher salary. Meaning 65% of the salary will be taxed & socially charged after the introduction of mobility package. For hauling companies, it means 24% increase salary costs for drivers
How it will effect our customers
lower productivity for all drivers will push the capacity in the market further – this again will increase costs and give longer lead times.
bookings must be made even earlier
we recommend sea or rail freight when possible
Cabotage will also be regulated so that drivers from higher-wage EU countries will not be at a competitive disadvantage vs. drivers from lower-wage countries.
For logistics and transport companies, the new rules will entail structural changes. Small and medium-sized carriers from Eastern Europe are highly likely to refocus on domestic markets, as the financial costs of transporting goods to other EU countries will be unprofitable. Capacity shortages are therefore expected in Western Europe, and excess capacity is expected in Eastern Europe
For more facts and development, click here; https://www.iru.org/who-we-are/where-we-work/europe/european-commission-mobility-package