On Monday, officers from Tungvognscenter Øst (the Danish Road Traffic Police for Zealand, Lolland-Falster and Bornholm) visited several parking areas in Hvidovre to check whether lorry drivers were complying with the rules on regular weekly rest periods. The police officers checked 18 foreign lorries and their drivers, almost half of whom were resting in the vehicle, i.e. not by the rules.
“Five drivers from the same company were asked by the haulier to spend the night in the cabin during the regular weekly rest period. The drivers should have been accommodated in a hotel or similar facility with access to a shower, toilet and kitchen. The fine imposed on the employer is expected to be DKK 100,000 (approximately €13,000 – editor’s note), so the truck was seized as a deposit,” – reports the police in a press release.
Two Indian drivers, who had been double-manning, claimed that their employer had refused to pay them for accommodation since Easter and had made them sleep in the vehicle. The fine to be imposed on the employer in this case is expected to be DKK 40,000 (approx. €5,200). As a result, the lorry in which the drivers were staying has also been impounded. In addition, their case is currently being investigated for violations of the Penal Code on the exploitation of human beings.
Another of the drivers caught on Sunday was taking a weekly rest period of 50 hours in the cab. The trucker paid a 20,000 kroner (€2,600) deposit towards the fine to be imposed on the haulier.
All drivers have been directed to hotels in the area and police expect employers to pay for suitable accommodation for their employees.
“We check on an ongoing basis that weekly rest is taken in accordance with the regulations. Adequate rest for drivers and the social benefits due to them are crucial for road safety,” – says Michael Sander, police commissioner and head of the traffic department, quoted in the official release.