Brussels: The Netherlands can meet truckers in British traffic
Photo: ANP
The Netherlands may accommodate truck drivers who are stuck for the British Dover, says the European Commission. The rules for driving and rest times may be temporarily set aside if they cannot comply with them.
Hundreds of truck drivers have been standing in a file stretching tens of kilometers at the important British port city for days. This is due to the shutdown of the P&O ferry service and storage in a British customs system. With a lot of Easter tourist traffic on the way, a solution does not seem to be in sight yet. Industry associations TLN and evofenedex are therefore requesting intervention by responsible State Secretary Aukje de Vries. She would have to find a way out with London and be lenient with the driving and rest rules in the meantime.
De Vries has the space, confirms employees of the European Commission. They can exempt drivers from the rules for 30 days if necessary. If the problems have not yet been resolved, she can also ask the committee for an extension.
De Vries must, however, keep in mind road safety and the working conditions of drivers must not be unfairly favored, officials say. After all, the rules are there for a reason.