New rules for international road transport in the European Union come into force on 1 July. All light commercial vehicles and vans with a maximum permissible mass, including trailer, of between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes, engaged in the international transport of goods will have to be equipped with second-generation smart tachographs (G2V2). Also driving limits & rest rules apply to EU and non-EU drivers.
These devices record border crossings, places where goods are loaded and unloaded, as well as the driver’s activities while driving like speeding. Small transport vans are notorious for dangerous driving.
The new obligation applies to vehicles participating in international transport or cabotage, i.e. the transport of goods to another country. Up to now, the lower limit for the tachograph was 3,5 tons. Light trucks transporting materials from and to construction sites up to 100 kilometers from their base are exempt. Exceptions remain for transport of hand made products and vehicles for non-commercial products. This concerns many small business owners like craftsmen.
The daily driving limit is 9 hours, extendable to 10 hours not more than twice during the week. The weekly limit is 56 hours with a two consecutive weeks maximum of 90 h. The minimum break is 45 minutes after 4,5 hours of driving which can split in two parts with a minimum of 15 minutes. The daily rest should be 11 hours uninterrupted that can be split with one break of at least 9 hours.
More information here.
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