Truck drivers will no longer be able to take a weekly holiday in their truck in Switzerland. Changes to the law are made after the results of the vote of the Council of the Cantons of Switzerland. 37 members voted for the adoption of the amendments, 8 – against.
“The changes were necessary because some professional drivers are forced to spend several weeks in their car,” said Swiss lawmaker Bruno Storni, who was one of those who supported the new law.
He added that several European countries have already banned weekly truck holidays to limit “social undercutting and unfair competition from foreign hauliers”.
According to the opinion of another member of parliament, Stephan Engler, the improvement of the working and rest conditions of truck drivers in Switzerland is necessary.
“This goal can be achieved by banning weekly rest exclusively in the cab of a cargo vehicle,” Stefan Engler said.
However, not all members of the Council of Cantons supported this idea. Jakob Stark, one of the few who voted against, said that “a lot of people buy motorhomes and sleep in them.”
“It is wrong to make a distinction between people who sleep in their cars voluntarily and those who do so for professional reasons,” said Jakob Stark.
According to the announcement of the Swiss Minister of Transport, Simonett Sommarug, the new rules should come into force on January 1, 2022.
Prohibition on 45-hour rest in the cabin
Currently, the ban on a truck driver taking a 45-hour rest in the cabin of a cargo vehicle during international road transport is in effect in several countries of the European Union. Since 2014, restrictions have been gradually introduced in Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, France and in some cases also in the UK.
In Belgium, the fine for violating the ban is 1.8 thousand euros. In France, the average is approximately 2.3 thousand euros, but the total amount can even reach 30 thousand euros. In Germany, for this offense, the truck driver can receive a fine of 500 euros, and the transporter – 1.5 thousand. In Italy – from 400 to 1700 euros, in Great Britain only drivers who spend a week’s vacation in a truck parked in a prohibited place are fined. The fine for this violation is 340 euros.