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

The European Parliament adopted a legislative resolution approving the Council's position at first reading with a view to the adoption of 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.

The proposed directive amends directive 2006/1/EC with the aim of removing existing restrictions and establishing a clear and uniform regulatory framework ensuring equal access to the market for hired vehicles for hauliers throughout the EU.

The use of hired vehicles can reduce the costs of own-account and hire-purchase freight transport companies and, at the same time, can increase their operational flexibility. It can therefore contribute to increasing the productivity and competitiveness of the companies concerned. Moreover, as leased vehicles tend to be newer than average, they are on average also safer and less polluting.

Under the proposed directive:

- Member States will be free to either (i) allow the use of hired vehicles with foreign number plates for a period of 30 consecutive days only (for those Member States where there is an obligation to register after 30 days or less), or (ii) allow the use of such vehicles for a period of 2 consecutive months in a given calendar year;

- the Member State of establishment of the road transport undertaking may limit the number of hired vehicles that an undertaking may use provided that the minimum number of authorised vehicles corresponds to at least 25% of the goods vehicle fleet at the disposal of the undertaking either on 31 December of the year preceding the use of the hired vehicle or on the day when the undertaking begins to use the hired vehicle, as determined by the Member State;

- Member States will be allowed to restrict the use of hired vehicles for own account transport only in the case of vehicles registered in another Member State, irrespective of their weight;

- hauliers will be obliged to register hired vehicles, including those hired in a Member State other than the Member State of establishment, in the national electronic registers of road transport undertakings. Information on hired vehicles will not have to be notified each time a vehicle is hired, provided that this information is available and accessible in the Member State carrying out the roadside checks.

Member States will have to incorporate the new provisions into their national legislation 14 months after the entry into force of the Directive. No later than four years after this date, the Commission will present a report on the implementation and effects of the Directive.