Digital' enforcement delayed in German

26th May 2005, Page 14

26th May 2005

Page 14

Page 14, 26th May 2005 — Digital' enforcement delayed in German

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Germany has temporarily muzzled the digitach ruies. Guy Sheppard and Dominic Perry report.

THE GERMAN government is following the UK's lead by delaying the enforcement of the digital tachograph.

Under European Union legislation, all new trucks must be fitted with the new equipment from 5 August, The UK's Department for Transport signalled a moratorium an enforcement in March due to a lack of digital tachos on the market. Germany's decision was confirmed at an International RoadTransport Union conference last week.

Freight Transport Association policy director James Hookham told delegates that other EU member states need to make a similar decision because of equipment shortages: "Over the past two years the European Commission has ignored repeated warnings from the ETA that it needed to change the implementation date and it is now too late for them to do anything before 5 August.

"The only way to remove lorry operators from the risk of prosecution is for national governments to put a moratorium on enforcement of this regulation."

In the UK and Germany operators can continue to use old-style tachos in new vehicles delivered after 5 August without fear of prosecution.