Ridgeway Training releases Compliance Guide for Light Goods Vehicle Operators in Europe
On 21 May 2022, new EU rules came into force requiring users of vans and other light goods vehicles weighing between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes and which transport goods for hire or reward from the UK into, or through the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, to hold an International Operators’ Licence.
If you do not possess this O licence, you may now find your business disrupted. You could also face enforcement action, including fines, impounding or being asked to return to the UK, depending on the country that you are stopped in.
Ridgeway Training has received a number of calls from van operators looking for support on how the new legislation will affect them and what procedures they need to implement to ensure compliance. Currently, the information that is available in the domain is understandably geared up for HGV operators. As a result of this, Ridgeway Training has produced a guide that covers the new legislation in an ‘easy to understand ‘ format for van operators travelling into the EU. The new support guide covers;
- Operator Licensing
- Transport Manager
- Registering journeys
- Maintenance & Loading / Overloading
- Driving staff, Drivers Hours Rules & Tachographs
- Existing International HGV Operator Licence Holders
Although the rules are now in force, if you need to travel to the EU for hire or reward, you can still apply. To reduce any possible disruption, you should select the interim licence option.
Currently Drivers’ Hours does not affect van operators travelling into the EU for hire and reward, but we anticipate this to come into force in due course, possibly 2023.
If you already hold an International Operators’ Licence for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) you can add extra LGVs to your existing licence.
You may also need to make posting declarations for journeys to the EU
If you’re transporting goods between two points in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway for commercial purposes, (known as cabotage or cross trade), you must now make a “posting declaration”, which means registering the operator, driver, driver employment details, dates of travel, and the vehicle used.
If you have any questions with regards to the new legislation please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
info@ridgewaytraining.co.uk or call 01293 535850
You can also read about advances in the operator licence system.
