HGVs’ keeping us on the move

4 DAY EXTENSION TO DRIVER'S HOURS RELAXATION SECURED BY TRANSPORT MINISTER

Scotland’s haulage drivers have been praised as they battle through some of the worst winter conditions since 1965, to keep goods moving across the country.

And with extreme weather conditions causing delays across the network, the Transport Minister has secured a four day extension, for Scotland only, to the relaxation of enforcement of EU Drivers’ Hours rules from the Department of Transport. This extension will ensure vital deliveries get to stores, supermarkets and petrol stations across Scotland.

Stewart Stevenson said

“HGV drivers are a key part of the lifeblood of our transport network, working hard to get goods to supermarkets and vital fuel supplies across the country and I am pleased we have managed to secure a further extension to the relaxation of enforcement of Drivers’ Hours in order to help keep Scotland moving."
For those drivers and work in question, the EU drivers’ hours rules will be temporarily relaxed as follows:

• Replace the EU daily driving limit of 9 hours with one of 10 hours
• Reduce the daily rest requirements from 11 to 9 hours.
• Lift the weekly (56 hours) and fortnightly driving limit (90 hours).
• Postponing the weekly rest requirement until 23:59 on 11 December 2010, at which stage a driver has to take a normal weekly rest of 45 hours.
• Notwithstanding the postponement of the weekly rest requirement (see preceding bullet point), a driver must take a minimum rest of 24 hours beginning no later than the end of the eleventh day since the end of his last weekly rest period.

The requirement to take a 45 minute break after 4½ hours driving remains and will continue to be rigorously enforced.