EU Mobility Package: Significant Changes to Driver-Related Legislation
March 8, 2022 For quite some time now, the implementation of the legislative package surrounding driver benefits called “EU Mobility Package” has been decided upon, with the legislative implementation of member countries spread over several months. Now, after the implementation of the first set of measures in mid-2021, the second wave will be implemented until February 2022.
The benefits of the legislation is that it provides comprehensive improvements for the working conditions for truck drivers and legal clarity within the European Union and thereby building a solid foundation to combat the ongoing driver shortages in nearly all European countries. For road freight providers and their customers, it will, however, lead to significant short-term changes.
The most significant changes are:
- Driver pay: Drivers must be paid the minimum wage in the countries they are registered in or where they do cabotage transports
- Return policies: Drivers must return to their home countries at least every four weeks, trucks every 8 weeks
- Rest periods: Explicit and absolute ban for drivers to spend the regular rest period in the vehicle
These extensive adjustments to the legislation will lead to a severely changed cost structure for road freight providers. The European Commission has confirmed this expectation in first reports on the impact. Furthermore, in countries that have already implemented these measures, we can see that they do have a significant impact on the day-to-day business. Together with the current situation in the market, this further adds to the complexity of the Supply Chain and in some countries the drivers shortage topic will increase significantly.
At DHL Freight, we have already taken decisive measures to prepare for the impact of the EU Mobility Package in order to solidify the situation and deliver best-possible services. Our conversations with hauliers in the market, however, confirm that we will face significant cost increases. The actual impact on our cost and therefore rates remains to be seen.
Please reach out to your Sales representative at DHL Freight, if you want further information on the EU Mobility Package. They are happy to provide a detailed overview of all rules and changes.