Government blasted over drivers' hours decision
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) has blasted the government's decision not to relax drivers' hours as hauliers attempt to clear the backlog of livestock on Scottish farms following the foot-and-mouth crisis. Phil Flanders, RHA director in Scotland, had lobbied the Department for Transport (DfT) to relax hours and tachograph regulations so firms could deal with the build-up caused by the movement restrictions imposed after the outbreak in Surrey last month.
However, the DfT has decided after careful consideration" and "on the basis of the evidence submitted" that a relaxation of the drivers' hours rules is not justified. Flanders says: "As restrictions are relaxed as the foot- and-mouth crisis winds down, one area that continues to cause concern is that there are not enough livestock drivers or vehicles to cope in reducing the backlog in the short term.
