Use of vehicles hired without drivers for the carriage of goods by road

PURPOSE: to enable undertakings to benefit to a greater extent from the advantages of using vehicles hired without drivers for the carriage of goods by road.

PROPOSED ACT: Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council.

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament shall decide in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council.

BACKGROUND: the use of hired vehicles can reduce the costs of undertakings carrying goods on their own account or for hire and reward and at the same time increase their operational flexibility.

Directive 2006/1/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council provides for a minimum level of the market opening for the use of vehicles hired without drivers for the carriage of goods by road. However, this Directive:

• allows Member States to restrict the use of hired goods vehicles with a gross vehicle weight above six tonnes for own account operations;
• restricts the use of a vehicle which has been hired in a Member State different from the one where the undertaking hiring the vehicle is established.

The Commission therefore proposes to remove these restrictions and establish a uniform regulatory framework across the EU to ensure equal access for transport operators across the EU to the market for hired vehicles.

The proposal is part of a series of proposals in the field of road transport which the Commission intends to adopt in 2017.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT: the preferred option aims to: (i) allow the use of hired goods vehicles for own account operations throughout the EU; (ii) allow the use of goods vehicles which an operator established in one Member State has hired in another Member State for a certain period of time.

Expected benefits include:

• a reduction in operating costs of EU hauliers by a total of EUR 158 million in 2030;
• a total annual economic benefit of around EUR 240 million in 2030 for the vehicle rental/leasing sector;
• the creation of almost 5 000 additional jobs (2 900 in the vehicle rental/leasing sector and 1 700 in the road haulage business).

CONTENT: the proposal amending Directive 2006/1/EC seeks to:

• allow the use within its territory of vehicles hired by undertakings established on the territory of another Member State provided that the vehicle is registered or put into circulation in compliance with the laws of a Member State;
• allow the use of a vehicle hired in another Member State is to be allowed for at least four months in any given calendar year to enable undertakings to meet temporary or seasonal demand peaks and/or to replace defective or damaged vehicles.

By 5 years after the deadline for transposition of the Directive, the Commission shall submit a report on the implementation and effects of this Directive. The report shall include information on the use of vehicles hired in a Member State other than the Member State of establishment of the undertaking hiring the vehicle. On the basis of this report, the Commission shall assess whether it is necessary to propose additional measures.