High fines for small offences annoy Austria´s road hauliers

Austria’s road transport companies complain about disproportional fines for petty offences in the transport sector

High fines for small offences annoy Austria´s road hauliers

Various sanctions are disproportionate to the offence, criticised Franz Danninger, Chairman of the professional association of the freight transport sector in the Austrian Economic Chamber (WKÖ). “Even the smallest transgressions, such as exceeding the driving times by several minutes, are fined with several hundred euros. If you forget to carry a copy of the Community license in the vehicle, you have to pay EUR 1,400.
This list of petty offences which are fined with excessive sums could be continued almost indefinitely,” said the Chairman, referring to numerous experiences of carriers.
It was indisputable that that the law must be executed, – “but it was suspected that this is not about fairness, but about cashing. I therefore call on the policy, just to take a close look at the fines and to put them in a reasonable relation to the offence committed. That would be an important step toward greater fairness, but also a relief of companies from exuberant regulations and red tape,” said Danninger.
www.dietransporteure.at

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