On Monday 11th January, the Department for Transport (DfT) agreed to a limited emergency relaxation of the enforcement of the EU drivers’ hours and working time rules for drivers of LPG tankers.
This temporary relaxation applied from 23.59 on Monday 11th and lasts until 23.59 on Monday 18th January and is the result of the case put forward by UKLPG on behalf of the industry. The relaxation of drivers’ hours and working times rules are intended to help LPG suppliers increase the number of deliveries they can make in these challenging weather conditions.
For the drivers and work in question, the enforcement of EU drivers’ hours rules are now temporarily relaxed as follows:-
· Replacement of the EU daily driving limit of 9 hours with one of 10 hours;
· Reduction of the daily rest requirements from 11 to 9 hours;
· Lifting the weekly (56 hours) and fortnightly driving limit (90 hours);
· Further postponing the weekly rest requirement until 23:59 Monday 18 January 2010, at which stage a driver has to take a minimum rest of 24 hours (with no compensatory rest required);
· 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.
During the relaxation, UKLPG will be reviewing progress and reporting back to the DfT and discuss if a further extension is necessary after Monday’s deadline.
A copy of the full notification is available here. |
