The European Union approved a partial amendment to the rules on driving and rest times in 2020, offering some flexibility in terms of maximum daily driving duration and weekly rest periods.
Recently, a new amendment has been approved that will focus solely on discretionary passenger transport by bus, excluding freight transport. This measure aims to better tailor the rules to the specific needs of this sector and ensure optimal service to passengers.
The amendment establishes new guidelines for breaks during driving, allowing bus drivers to split their mandatory break into two shorter segments, while freight vehicle drivers will have to follow a different scheme.
Additionally, the start of the daily rest period can be delayed under certain circumstances for discretionary passenger transport, but this exception does not apply to freight transport.
Regarding weekly rest periods, the new amendment extends the possibility of taking consecutive reduced breaks not only for international transport but also for national discretionary passenger transport, although not for freight transport.
Despite the positive step towards greater flexibility in the discretionary passenger transport sector, some voices like FENADISMER believe that these measures should also apply to freight transport, given the diversity of activities it encompasses and the difficulties it faces with the current regulation. Therefore, they advocate for extending these amendments to all subsectors of road transport
