The Mobility Package will undergo a variety of adjustments starting on February 2nd.

The following is included in this:

• the requirement to notify carriers connected to the IMI Internal Market Information System of the posting of drivers in a certain interface.
• the requirement to pay drivers at least the full minimum wage in effect in each member state while they are employed in that state.
• the requirement for border crossings to be recorded on digital tachographs.
• the requirement for commercial trucks to return to their base every eight weeks.
• a maximum of three cabotage operations may be carried out in a single nation throughout a seven-day period. The truck may not enter this country for 4 days following this time frame.

There are also new regulations for the use of light vehicles for the transportation of goods as of May 30. Details on this are available here.

Remote tyre pressure measurement
Regulations from the EU requiring additional hardware in HGVs will also go into effect in 2022. Tire temperature and pressure sensors will be required starting on July 6 for newly authorised trucks and trailers. The requirement will take effect for all recently manufactured HGVs two years later.

The new technology is intended to improve traffic safety and lower carrier costs, according to the European Commission. Driving with underinflated tyres increases fuel consumption and hastens tread degradation.

Alterations in each member state

Austria
The earnings of professional drivers in the Austrian freight transport sector will grow by 4.96 percent beginning on January 1, 2022, according to the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WK) and the union Vida. Additionally, there is a collective agreement in Austria for the years 2023 and 2024 covering about 50,000 truck drivers. After then, earnings will continue to rise by 0.5 percent annually in addition to the rate of inflation.

A purported CO2 tax will also be implemented in July. The tax would initially be €30 per tonne of CO2, rising progressively to €55 in 2025. An EU-wide CO2 emissions trading system will be implemented for all industries starting in 2026.

Belgium
Modifications to the laws prohibiting using a phone while driving will go into effect in March 2022. Only when the cellphone is in a holder on the dashboard will it be permitted to use GPS or music apps inside vehicles. Otherwise, drivers will pay a €174 punishment (the current charge for the violation is €116).

The Wallonia region will also see an increase in toll prices at the beginning of the year. Belgian tolls are determined by three elements: the geographical area in which the route is located, the maximum allowable weight, and the vehicle’s Euro emission level. The table below includes the modifications.

Spain
Spain’s haulage association, FENADISMER, scored a major victory earlier this month after extensive negotiations with the government of Spain resulted in an agreement over a number of measures covering areas like loading and unloading, lorry parking facilities, RDC performance, road tolls, and fuel costs.

This item from our archives has information about those modifications.

Germany
The existing statutory minimum salary of €9.50 per hour will increase to €9.82 per hour as of January 1st, 2022. The hourly wage will rise once more to €10.45 in July.

This means that drivers that perform transports (such as cabotage, or international transport including unloading or loading in Germany) will be paid more in accordance with the minimum wage act’s guidelines.

Netherlands
Only electric vehicles and Euro 6 trucks will be permitted to enter the low-emission zones of 14 Dutch cities beginning in 2022.

But there are several exclusions allowed under the new regulations. Carriers will be able to apply for a one-day permission to drive in these zones if their vehicles don’t match the necessary emission criteria. Each haulier’s registration number will allow them to do this up to 12 times per year in each city.

The Dutch transport association advises drivers to examine the websites of the municipalities to see what kinds of access facilities are still available for trucks with diesel engines.

Amsterdam, Arnhem, Breda, Delft, The Hague, Eindhoven, Leiden, Maastricht, Rijswijk, Rotterdam,’s-Hertogenbosch, Tilburg, and Utrecht are the present locations of the environmental zones in the Netherlands. A similar zone will be established in Haarlem at the start of 2022, which will prohibit the passage of trucks with diesel engines under Euro 6.