[190811.EN.LAN] Irish Trucks Impounded For Picking Up UK Loads, Breaking Cabotage Rules

IRISH truckers have been hit with fines and had their vehicles impounded for ignoring EU cabotage rules by sending empty trailers across the Irish sea to west coast British ports to pick up loads.

A practice of Irish drivers waiting on UK soil for empty trailers to collect loads in the UK poaches on the preserve of Welsh truckers, said the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA), reports the North Wales Daily Post.

"Lorries are coming here for a week and staying here the whole time taking domestic work from UK hauliers, breaking cabotage rules," said VOSA manager for Wales Dave Collings in the report of a new rule which allows for three journeys in the UK, each call at a UK port equates to one.

The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) is lobbying London and Dublin to classify UK ports as international rather than domestic.

"Our members do not want to take UK business away. We are only collecting Irish loads which we would be carrying anyway," said IRHA president Eoin Gavin. "We believe the UK government is being protectionist."

Source : HKSG, 19.08.11.