TRAN ADOPTS THE REVISED HIRED VEHICLES DIRECTIVE
The EP’s Transport and Tourism Committee adopted on 3 March a recommendation for second reading on revised rules for the use of hired vehicles for goods transport, by 40 votes in favour, 4 against and 4 abstentions. The TRAN Committee therefore approved the Council position at first reading and calls on the EP Plenary to formally adopt the revised Directive.
For reference, the Council and the Parliament reached an agreement on the revision of the Directive on 26 October. With the new rules, Member States will not be allowed to restrict the use on their territory of a vehicle hired by a haulage company established in another Member State. Companies will have to report to their national authorities their use of hired vehicles, in order to ensure that it does not constitute more than 25 percent of the overall goods vehicle fleet used by the business involved. The minimum guaranteed lease period for an individual vehicle registered in another Member State is set at 2 months, but Member States may also choose to require these vehicles to be registered under their rules after 30 days of use.
The Parliament is expected to formally adopt the Council position with a Plenary vote in April 2022. After its publication in the Official Journal if the EU, Member States will have 14 months to incorporate the new provisions into their legislation.