The IRU has called upon European institutions to support the European Parliament’s (EP) proposal to improve the 12-day driving derogation, adopted as part of the review of the EU Tachograph Regulation 3821/85/EC.
Yves Mannaerts, IRU VP, said: “The EP proposal constitutes an improvement of the 12-day derogation adopted in 2009 as it simplifies the rest time compensation requirements for using it. It is also timely, showing the current EU driving and rest time rules do not match the specificity of the bus and coach business.”
The abolition in 2007 of the original 12-day derogation and its reinstatement in a very limited form in 2009 was part of a process of searching for the best rules’ model for European bus and coach travel. The process continues today.
Drivers currently must take a four-day rest period immediately after the use of the derogation which includes the lost rest days which would have been taken during the derogation. The new rules allow for two standard rest days to be taken with the remaining two missed rest days taken within the following 160 hours.
“Our battle for a customer and industry-friendly 12-day derogation is a matter of survival for thousands of small tourism destinations and companies across Europe.” Mannaerts concluded.