Many infringements discovered during the third action week on Road Transport this year, coordinated by European Labour Authority
15 Member States participated in the concerted or joint inspections (CJIs) organised in form of road side checks. A wide array of national authorities with competence in the area of road transport participated in the action week, such as police officers, labour and social security inspectors, and civil protection.
The roadside checks aimed at verifying compliance with the tachograph and driving and resting time rules. It was part of a continuous and joint effort to enforce applicable EU legislation, while addressing social security aspects and ensuring transparent information to drivers and operators.
The action week in numbers:
- 263 vehicles checked.
- More than 95 control officers involved, including 41 observers from other Member States, and 16 ELA staff.
- 15 Member States involved:
- 7 host countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, France, Romania and Slovakia.
- Observers from Poland, Czechia, Sweden, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Croatia and Portugal.
- More than 118 infringements detected, out of which over 55 resulted in fines. Most of the infringements related to the use of tachograph, driving and resting times, compliance with road traffic rules, technical requirements, load security and irregularities in relation to posted workers. 1 driver card was confiscated.
- 2 cases of social dumping were identified, notably by exploiting third-country displaced citizens in the context of undeclared work and non-compliance with labour and social laws.
- 2 cases of possible tachograph fraud detected.
In parallel to the roadside checks, ELA also organised a roadshow in Romania to disseminate practical information to operators and heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers about the new rules introduced by the Mobility Package 1. Information leaflets on the topics of posting of drivers and driving and resting time were distributed in several languages (EU and non-EU languages, including Ukrainian and Turkish). The Road 2 Fair Transport campaign was also promoted.
Conducting concerted and joint inspections contributes to enhanced cooperation between relevant national authorities and promotes the exchange of best practices. The participants shared experiences and information in the field of road transport, an area where substantial legislative changes recently took place.
ELA helped to organise the inspections in close cooperation with the European Roads Policing Network (ROADPOL), which also supported a number of national inspections. (Please consult ROADPOL webpage https://www.roadpol.eu/ for more information).
Within the context of its coordination and supporting role, ELA facilitated the participation of observers from a variety of national authorities from different Member States, and deployed its experts and national liaison officers on the spot at several locations.
The international road transport sector is an important area for the operations of ELA, as part of ELA’s Framework for Action on Road Transport for 2022.