Government extends drivers’ hours rules to address shortage

The government has extended the legal limit for HGV drivers’ hours to address the current driver shortage.

On Wednesday the Department for Transport announced that it was introducing a temporary relaxation of the enforcement of the retained EU drivers rules in England, Scotland, and Wales, in response to “pressures on local and national supply chains.”

The temporary extension will apply from 12 July until 8 August.

“We’re temporarily extending drivers’ hours rules from Mon 12 July to allow HGV drivers to make slightly longer journeys where necessary, as we’re aware of a current shortage of drivers,” tweeted parliamentary under-secretary of state for the Department of Transport, Baroness Charlotte Vere. “Driver safety must not be compromised & operators must notify DfT if this relaxation is used.”

The move has sparked backlash from trade unions who have warned that relaxation of existing regulations on the maximum number of hours lorry drivers can work will “not resolve the problem.”

“Asking an already exhausted workforce to work even longer is likely to make an already difficult situation worse,” said Adrian Jones, Unite national officer for road transport. “Driving regulations are highly complex and to announce a relaxation on twitter without any proper detail, has simply created more confusion and uncertainty across the sector.”

Jones added: “The government should not be announcing a relaxation in driving hours, which are critical to ensure the safety of all road users, without also ensuring that the relevant monitoring and enforcement of the revised rules are in place.”

    Share Story:

Recent Stories


Supermicro and NVIDIA’s AI Solution for Retailers
To find out more: click here

Poundland significantly reduces antisocial behaviour, aggression and shoplifting with Motorola Solutions VT100 body cameras
Retail should not be a high-risk occupation. As a company, we are focused on listening to our colleagues and customers to help them with the issues they are facing in-store and so far, the feedback on our body cameras has been excellent. They act as a great visual deterrent, help to de-escalate situations and overall, this project has significantly aided our goal to make the retail environment safer.

For further information on Motorola Solutions’ retail security products, including body cameras, click here.

Advertisement