The new rules are part of the "social part" of the mobility package that was included in the EEA Agreement on March 18. Before new the regulations could apply in Norway, changes had to be made to the Road Traffic Act and the Commercial Transport Act. The Storting has now accepted the Government's proposal for legislative change, and the legislative decision was today sanctioned by the King in Council.

More effective control and enforcement

Thanks to the new rules, among other things, it is easier to carry out checks. The Act on Commercial Transport now allows inspections at the place of business of the transport company.

In addition, a longer use of the tachographs, which are currently used to control the rules on driving and rest times, will be allowed.

– Under the new regulations, the tachograph must also be used for checking cabotage regulations and drivers' working hours. It will record new information such as border crossings. This will be a useful tool for detecting illegal transport, says Nygård.

Now it will also be possible to impose a ban on use in the absence of a tachograph or if it has been violated, and the ban on tampering with the equipment will be clarified.

More stringent rules for vans in international transport

The new regulations will also apply to those who carry out international transport with delivery vehicles with a maximum permissible weight of more than 2500 kg.

- In the case of transport in a van with a maximum permissible weight of more than 2500 kg, an obligation to have a license, regulations on driving and rest times, regulations on cabotage and an obligation to have a tachograph in the vehicle will be introduced. We also asked the Norwegian Public Roads Authority to investigate the possibility of introducing regulations for vans in domestic transport, says Nygård.

Home travel requirements for drivers and cabotage

The new requirements will be specified in the organization of the activities of transport companies. Employers will have to ensure that the driver can go home within four weeks. Vehicles in international transport will also have to return to the operations center in their home country at least every 8 weeks.

– We are tightening the regulations on cabotage. In the case of freight transport, as before, three orders can be completed in seven days, but after the last order a 'freezing period' of four will be introduced days when foreign vehicles will not be able to perform cabotage in Norway, says Nygård.

The changes to the regulations come into force at different times

Many legislative changes require the introduction of the necessary regulatory changes. Moreover, many different rules will apply at different times in the EU, some only from 2026. This means that even if the law comes into force "immediately", many changes will not have practical effects until later.

Source: regjeringen

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