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

The European Parliament adopted by 340 votes to 316, with 38 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2006/1/EC on the use of vehicles hired without drivers for the carriage of goods by road.

As a reminder, the proposal aims at enabling companies to take greater advantage of the use of vehicles rented without a driver for the carriage of goods by road. It is part of the ‘Europe on the move’ package of clean, competitive and connected mobility proposed by the European Commission.

The European Parliament’s position adopted at first reading in the framework of the ordinary legislative procedure amended the Commission proposal.

Use of hired vehicles

Members considered that Member States should not be allowed to restrict the use on their respective territories of a vehicle hired by an undertaking duly established on the territory of another Member State, provided that the vehicle is registered and complies with operating standards and safety requirements.

Limits

Given the different levels of taxation of road transport within the Union, Member States should be given the option:

- limit the time of use of the hired vehicle within its respective territory provided that it allows the use of the hired vehicle for at least four consecutive months any given calendar year; in which case the contract of hire may be required not to last longer than the time limit set by the Member State;

- limit the number of hired vehicles that can be used by any undertaking, provided that they allow the use of at least a number of vehicles corresponding to 25% of the overall goods vehicle fleet owned by the undertaking on 31 December of the year preceding the request for authorisation; in which case an undertaking that has an overall fleet of more than one and less than four vehicles, shall be allowed to use at least one such hired vehicle.

Member States may exclude from the provisions of the Directive own account transport operations carried out by vehicles with a total permissible laden weight of more than 6 tonnes.

National electronic register

The information on a hired vehicle´s registration number shall be entered in the national electronic register as defined in Regulation (EC) 1071/2009.

Competent authorities of the Member State of establishment that are being informed of the use of a vehicle which the operator has hired and which is registered or put into circulation in compliance with the laws in another Member State should inform the competent authorities of that other Member State thereof. Member States should use the Internal Market Information System (IMI) to that end.

Report

The implementation and effects of the directive should be monitored by the Commission and reported no later than 3 years after the date of transposition (instead of 5 years).

The Commission report shall pay particular attention to the impact on road safety, and on tax revenues, including fiscal distortions, and on the enforcement of cabotage rules.