Lobbying work by the NFU has resulted in a temporary relaxation of EU drivers’ hours and working-time rules for hauliers. The relaxation will apply to hauliers involved directly in the distribution of raw materials to feed mills and prepared feed to livestock farms in Great Britain.
There is also a relaxation in force for hauliers involved in the distribution of fuel oil, liquid natural gas and petroleum related products to domestic, agricultural and small industrial premises in Great Britain.
NFU transport adviser Peter Garbutt said: “With the continued cold weather causing substantial delays, particularly in the North, East Midlands and South East, the NFU has been working closely with Defra and AIC to lobby for these relaxations. The change in rules will come as a relief to those farmers who are starting to run low on animal feed, diesel and heating oil and will provide a much needed opportunity for the supply chain to catch up with deliveries.”
The change in drivers’ hours rules applies immediately and will run until 23.59pm on December 17. For the drivers and work in question, the enforcement of EU drivers’ hours rules have been relaxed as follows:
• Replacement of the EU daily driving limit of nine hours with one of 10 hours;
• Reduction of the daily rest requirements from 11 to nine hours;
• Lifting the weekly (56 hours) and fortnightly driving limit (90 hours);
• Postponing the weekly rest requirement until 23.59pm Friday December 17, at which stage a driver has to take a normal weekly rest of 45 hours.
The enforcement of working time rules have also been relaxed for this period to allow drivers to work up to 66 hours instead of the usual 60 hour weekly maximum. This extra time should be recorded, but does not count for the purposes of determining average working time.
The requirement to take a 45 minute break after 4½ hours driving remains and drivers 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. All enquiries regarding interpretation of these temporary arrangements should, in the first instance, be made to the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency on 0300 1239000 or via email at enquiries@vosa.gov.uk
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