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Introduced in August 2020, the Mobility Package’s first resolutions mainly covered driving and resting times for drivers working within the European Union. What modifications will the legislation bring in 2022?
“Change is the only constant in life,” said the Greek philosopher Heraclitus. The transport and logistics sector has already grown accustomed to evolving quickly to overcome economic disruptions caused by many factors including Brexit and COVID-19. 2022 will mark the entry into force of several key measures of the Mobility Package, which establishes a new regulatory framework for road freight transport in Europe. Carriers are already adjusting.
Here, experts from the AsstrA-Associated Traffic AG corporate group highlight the important changes that the next phases of the Mobility Package put into motion on February 2nd, 2022.
- Drivers' salary
The most significant changes concern new rules governing drivers' salaries. Under the legislation, drivers must receive at least the minimum wage set in the country where they perform their work. For example, when a driver from Poland is posted to work in France, his salary should be calculated in accordance with the minimum wage rate that French drivers receive.
The new rules on drivers' salaries will apply to cabotage operations and cross-trade carriage.
Transit and bilateral transport will not be subject to the amendment.
- Internal Market Information System (IMI)
As of February 2nd, 2022 it is necessary to report the above-mentioned shipments, i.e. those executed by drivers posted from another EU country, in the so-called Internal Market Information System, a EU-wide technology platform.
- Amendments to cabotage rules
As before, it will be possible to perform a maximum of three cabotage operations within seven days. However, it must be noted that after the third cabotage operation in a row in a given country, the driver must have a break of at least four days starting when the third cabotage operation ends.
- Combined transport
Combined transport, which will most likely resemble cabotage in the future, will be subject to the same restrictions as those placed on cabotage operations in terms of number of shipments, driving days, and break periods. This requirement will influence freight capacity and the costs of road transport.
- Obligation to return to base once every 8 weeks
According the regulations now in effect, drivers performing international transport are obliged to return to their employer’s operating base no later than within 8 weeks from the date of leaving it. This requirement has caused considerable controversy. Some experts claim the requirement is inconsistent with the principles of the European Green Deal, which is a set of European Commission policy initiatives aimed at making the European Union climate neutral in 2050. There are many indications that drivers will often be forced to take "empty" runs in order to comply with these regulations.
Furthermore, the obligation to record border crossings in a digital tachograph will also come into force.
- Changes in taxation
As a result of the implementation of the EU Mobility Package, changes are being made in the taxation of truck drivers’ wages in several East European countries. As a result, carriers’ gross costs Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria are expected to increase by at least 36%.
AsstrA-Associated Traffic AG experts emphasize that failure to comply with Mobility Package provisions will result not only in financial penalties but also reputational damage that can in turn lead to the suspension or loss of a license. Enterprises should therefore pay special attention to introducing reliably accurate methods for calculating wages in accordance with the most important changes that the Mobility Package introduced.
Author: Agnieszka Krzepkowska.
