Court rules on rest regs
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• The European Court has ruled when a driver's day begins in order to clarify EU driver's hours regulations.
It has decided that the phrase should be interpreted as meaning any period of 24 hours starting at the time the driver activates the tachograph following a weekly or daily rest period.
This finally answers long standing questions over the legal meaning of the phrase each period of 24 hours" which is used in article 8(1) of EC regulation 3820/85.
The European Court was asked for an interpretation by a Dutch District Council Court following the prosecution of Dutch haulier Van Swieten for infringements of EC and Dutch law relating to rest periods and driving time.
The court also made it clear that the EC regs apply to vehicles registered in a member state travelling to or from countries which are not parties to the ERTA agreement.