As the Commercial Vehicle Roadworthiness Test (CVRT) Centres partially open for business the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) ask that all derogations due to finish at the end of May should continue to through to the end of June, at least. For those involved in International Transport, some changes are taking place as Europe continues to open up, operators should check the International Road Transport Union (IRU) website, www.iru.org for updates. Â
CVRTÂ – Clarification on phased resumption of testing and 3-month extension
As reported on Friday last, the Department of Transport and the Road Safety Authority (RSA) agreed to allow the CVRT network of centres reopen from 18 May. The initial testing will be restricted to vehicles with a test due date prior to 28 March 2020. These vehicles did not benefit from the 3-month extension to Commercial Vehicle Certificates of Roadworthiness which apply only to vehicles due for testing on or after the 28 March.
The resumption of testing for vehicles with a test due date on or after 28 March 2020 is expected to follow over the coming weeks:
The Commercial Vehicle Roadworthiness (Vehicle Testing) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 stste that:
- All CVRT testing due dates which fell on 28 March, or after, have been pushed back 3 months. So, for example, if the test date was the 1st April 2020, the revised test date is now 1 July 2020. If the test date was 1 December 2020, it is now the 1st February 2021.
- ALLCertificates of Roadworthiness which were valid on the 28Â March (i.e., not expired), shall continue to be valid and the new date of expiry shall be three months from the date of expiry specified on the certificate.Â
IRHA puts forward proposal to continue Driving & Rest Time Derogation into JuneÂ
The IRHA has submitted a request to continue the derogation on driving and rest times to continue into June. The current derogation is due to run out at the end of May. The road haulage representative body has set out a number of grounds for seeking this extension and it is a matter for Ireland will require approval from the EU Commission to continue the derogation and Brussels has already announced that it is unlikely that it will approve further derogations for any Member State beyond the end of May. We will keep you informed on any developments on this.
Update on restrictions across Europe
GERMANY – Borders opening
The German Minister of the Interior announced the following measures, which came into effect from 16 May:
- All border crossings with Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg and Denmark will be operative again.
- Controls at the borders with Austria, Switzerland, France and Denmark will be reduced to sample checks.
- Controls at the border with Luxembourg will be completely abandoned.
Transport operators should be aware that controls at the border with Denmark will be abandoned as soon as possible, however, the relevant date is still to be agreed. Controls at the borders with Austria, Switzerland and France are scheduled to cease on 16 June, subject to the COVID-19 pandemic’s further development.
FRANCE – Authorisation form for domestic operations
On 14 May, the French Ministry of the Interior issued an authorisation form with which transport companies can perform domestic operations beyond 100km from their place of establishment and outside their department of residence.
The IRHA has sought clarification on this from the IRU and its understanding is that this is only for domestic transport. However, it is not necessarily only for French operators, i.e., it is needed also in case of cabotage.