Road transport drivers are bound by strict rules regarding driving and rest times. The most recent decision on this was adopted in 2007: Regulation 561/2006. In the Netherlands this regulation is included in specific Dutch legislation known as the ‘Arbeidstijdenbesluit Vervoer’ (Working Hours Legislation: Transport).
AETR rules
The rules for driving and rest times stipulated in the regulation apply to all journeys within the European Union. If the destination of a journey is in one of the following countries, the AETR rules apply:
Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Belarus.
Example
An example will best explain the application of the AETR rules: a driver in Venlo is instructed to pick up a load in Milan. During a stopover, the journey is modified and the driver is told to pick up a load in Moscow (Russia). The AETR rules now apply throughout the journey (from Venlo to Moscow). If one or more journeys under the AETR Convention are made within a week, the rules for the weekly and fortnightly driving and rest times stipulated in the AETR Convention apply to that period.
Driving and rest time legislation
- Driving and resting times for lorries and coaches (PDF)
- AETR driving and rest times for lorries and coaches (PDF
The fines are high priced and abuse is strictly monitored. It is therefore vital to pay attention to the digital tachograph and the driver card. Since FleetGO takes care of reading out both the mass memory and the driver card, you no longer have to worry about this. The two-year retention obligation is also handled entirely by FleetGO.
