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New road traffic rules and regulations in 2007!
How
does it affect you? |
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From April 2007,
there are major changes to the rules governing the work and rest
patterns for
coach drivers operating tours and hires throughout Europe. The
changes will have a significant
impact on the planning of tours in particular. |
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| Why are
the rules changing? |
| The law affecting coach
drivers' work is set by the European Union. The old rules had stood
the test of time over 20 years but are not compatible with the new
digital tachographs now being introduced, and the European
Parliament wants to improve drivers' working conditions. Whether the
new rules will actually achieve that objective is a moot point! But
the rules ARE changing and we must all work within them.
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When are they changing? The new rules come into effect from
April 11, 2007. |
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| Driving
hours |
| There are no changes to
the basic rule - drivers must take a break of 45 minutes after 4½
hours continuous driving. However, that break can be split into two
- the first of 15 minutes and the second of 30 minutes. The old
provision for 3 separate breaks of 15 minutes is abolished.
Maximum driving remains 9 hours per day but this can be extended to
10 hours twice a week. Total weekly driving is limited to 56 hours
per week and 90 hours per fortnight. |
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| Daily
rest |
| Normally this must be
at least 11 hours, giving a maximum working day of 13 hours, but can
be reduced to 9 hours not more than 3 times per week, to give a 15
hour day. Drivers of double manned coaches can be on duty for up to
21 hours. |
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| Weekly
rest |
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Here's where the big problem comes. In future, drivers
will be required to take a weekly rest period after no more than 6
days' work. The existing so-called "12-day" rule is abolished. This
means that one driver can no longer
operate a tour of more than 6 days without taking a full weekly rest
period (normally 45 hours, but this can be reduced to 24 hours once
a fortnight provided the time is made up soon
afterwards). The special derogation for
drivers working away from their home base is also being withdrawn.
During the rest period, the driver cannot undertake any work
at all, so cannot act as a courier or perform any other duties for
the tour party. They cannot even travel home, as this counts as
"other work"! |
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Working with the new rules |
Multi-day tours will be particularly affected. Some
ways to manage the changes include:
- scheduling a "free" day during the
tour when the coach and driver are not used;
- paying for an additional driver to
travel out to meet the tour coach, either to cover so that the
regular driver can take their weekly
rest period at the destination, or else to allow the first driver
to return to base within their working week to take their weekly
rest. Either way, the cost of operating multi-day tours will
increase - through no fault of the coach operator!
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Obligations of Tour Operators |
| The new rules make tour
organizers jointly liable with the operator for planning schedules
that meet the law. |
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| The Guild of British
Coach Operators has produced this fact sheet to help tour organizers
plan effectively. |