One year on from the main EU Mobility Package 1 (MP1) provisions entering into force, IRU brought together the road transport industry and enforcement groups in a workshop to assess the situation.
Since February 2022, most of the EU’s MP1 provisions have been in force. The industry is working under new rules governing driving and rest periods, the posting of drivers, and access to the road transport market and profession.
Although the European Commission has already clarified many of the new provisions, the sector remains concerned by multiple areas that lack clarity. A common understanding, implementation and enforcement of the MP1 rules are crucial for both transport operators and enforcers across all member states.
The EU-funded TRACE 2 project – which aims to promote a common understanding and harmonised implementation and enforcement of MP1 – has developed a set of implementation and enforcement guidelines to serve as a reliable common reference to apply MP1 provisions.
The Confederation of Organisations in Road Transport Enforcement (CORTE) and IRU shared preliminary results from TRACE 2 during the workshop.
IRU EU Advocacy Director Raluca Marian said, “IRU will continue being one of the key promoters of consistent interpretation and application of the rules governing road transport.
“While TRACE 2’s official target are the enforcers, we have decided to take training one step further and also involve operators. Everybody needs to be on the same page.”
The TRACE 2 project has so far identified questions related to enforcement and developed practical enforcement guidelines. The project will create training and awareness-raising material based on the guidelines to train control officers and foster a uniform enforcement approach. Further training will be held in April and May 2023.
IRU is also planning several training webinars with its members, national transport federations and companies in May and June 2023 to share TRACE 2 materials and knowledge with transport operators.
The webinars will focus on impactful MP1 provisions, such as rest in cabin, the return home of drivers, the return of trucks, the posting of drivers, and the use of the smart tachograph.
Training sessions will focus on delivering dissemination content produced for enforcers and operators through instructor-led and interactive training sessions. The focus will be on the practical implementation of enforcement guidance, including realistic scenarios.
TRACE 2 is carried out in partnership by CORTE, the European Transport Workers' Federation, Squaris, Euro Contol Route, the European Roads Policing Network, and IRU.