What's New

The International Road Transport Union (IRU) and the UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) have come together to highlight the importance of implementing coordinated customs measures to keep road transport supply chains open during the current global health crisis.

The Government has announced that furloughed workers planning to take paid parental or adoption leave will be entitled to pay based on their usual earnings rather than a furloughed pay rate.

Recognising that operators are currently working in unprecedented and difficult times, the Traffic Commissioners have agreed to accept compliance audits remotely.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued advice on maintaining social distancing for delivery drivers as the COVID-19 crisis continues.

Trade organisations in the transport and logistics sector have come together to urge the Government to do more to save thousands of firms who face ruin as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.

The last month has seen numerous changes made to the way transport operators work in order to try to deal with the impact of the coronavirus crisis (see “More COVID-19 changes for professional drivers”).

Shuttles, capable of carrying up to 32 trucks and travelling at a speed of 140km/h, transport freight through the Channel Tunnel on a 24 hours a day, 365 days a year basis.

A number of announcements and publications have been made as a result of the impact which the current coronavirus crisis is having on commercial drivers.

As might be expected, Government advice on how various sectors should deal with the coronavirus crisis is changing rapidly but the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) have brought together all the guidance on the relaxation of EU drivers’ hours rules and will apply to all sectors of the carriage of goods by road.

A Minister in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Rebecca Pow, has written to the Freight Transport Association (FTA) to confirm that the Government is postponing the introduction of all Clean Air Zones (CAZs) until 2021.