International freight drivers 'face confusing regulations'

Date: 8/6/2011

Freight vehicle drivers working overseas can find they are required to get to grips with national regulations that are complicated.

In light of this, the Freight Transport Association (FTA) has made a guide available that is designed to simplify the process of using roads in the European Union and further afield.

Country profiles have been compiled to help employers understand roadside enforcement and also to avoid any delays that arise due to a miscomprehension of regulations.

As a result, drivers can learn more about different nations' toll charges, weekend bans on heavy goods vehicles or city restrictions on motors that produce high emissions.

Don Armour, Editor of the guide and FTA's International Manager, says: "International road transport operators are often faced with a confusing array of local and national regulations [...] along with different processes and penalties for dealing with tachograph and drivers' hours infringements, roadworthiness issues and inappropriate loading of the vehicle."

However, it is not only lorry drivers who need to equip themselves with an understanding of laws and regulations when driving abroad, but also car owners.

According to moneysupermarket.com, this includes checking whether an insurance policy will automatically be downgraded on foreign soil before taking a car overseas for a holiday, as many Britons are unsure of whether this is the case for them.

Posted by Mary Treen