The United States isn't the only place where truck driver hours of service changes are controversial. In England, the trucking industry is lobbying against some restrictive new European Union rules.

The new EU directive goes into effect in 2003. It cuts drivers' working hours from 55 to 48 hours a week. But more troublesome for the British truckers are night-time driving hours being limited to eight hours rather than the current 10. The Freight Transport Assn. wants an exception for the British trucking industry. The group also wants shifts starting after 4 a.m. to be exempt from the night-time regulations. The new rules call for night-time driving to be limited until 6 a.m.
If these changes aren't made, entire logistics hubs will have to be relocated, trucks will cost more to run, and trucks will need to have two drivers.
A poll of FTA members showed that Britain's transport industry would pay an extra 1 billion pounds per year from driver's working hours being cut to 48 per week. But that figure would more than triple with the nighttime rules.
The British government, business leaders, other road transport groups and unions are reportedly behind the FTA's effort to change the new rules.