Drive for new technology

Date: 12/06/1997

FOURTEEN out of 15 EU governments will next week sign up to plans for a new electronic tachograph to ensure lorry drivers do not exceed legal limits on driving hours.

Only Bonn looks likely to oppose the deal, which is due to be finalised by transport ministers next Tuesday (17 June), for the simple reason that a German company is the main manufacturer of equipment which will be rendered obsolete by the new rules.

After months of debate, member states have finally decided to introduce a fully electronic 'black box'-style system. But while ministers look certain to reach a common position committing the EU politically to the new requirements, a final decision on the technical specifications remains a long way off.

Assuming an agreement is completed at next week's meeting, experts would have two years to come up with a technical blueprint. Six months later, all new trucks would have to carry the new equipment.

Ministers still have to decide to what extent, if at all, existing vehicles will have to be updated to meet the new specifications, amid concern in Mediterranean countries about the possible cost implications for their generally older fleets.

The new tachograph will be able to record digitally how much time individual drivers spend behind the wheel, when they are doing 'other work', when they are present in the cab but not actually driving, and periods of rest.

“The novelty of this is that a couple of the most common ways of fiddling the rules will be removed,” said an industry expert.

The system of cardboard drivers' cards used at present has proved less than reliable.

Companies and drivers wanting to falsify driving records have been able to disconnect the measuring devices, bend the needle used to indicate speed or replace recording sheets shortly before inspection.

The Commission publishes an annual report on the results of its roadside spot checks and regular inspections of cards stored at each haulage company's headquarters. “It tends to reflect the customary North-South divide,” said an industry specialist.

The haulage industry has welcomed efforts to make implementation of the rules more consistent, but fears the costs could prove prohibitive for some smaller companies.

“We say the EU needs to improve the enforcement of social legislation. But the most important thing is the willingness of countries to enforce the rules properly. This new and costly equipment is not necessarily needed,” said Wim Smolders, of the IRU road haulage liaison committee with the EU, who rejects Commission claims that the additional cost of the new device will work out at little more than the price of a tank of diesel.

The rules covering working times for lorry drivers are complex. Basically, they may not drive for more than four and a half hours consecutively, followed by a 45-minute break. Their working day may not exceed nine hours (or an average of 90 hours over a two-week period) and they are entitled to a weekly rest of a minimum of 24 hours after six days' driving. Daily rest periods are normally 11 hours, but may be cut to nine hours not more than three times a week.