The RHA is renewing its calls for the UK government to negotiate a professional drivers’ exemption from the EU’s Schengen 90/180 rule, warning that UK international hauliers will lose work to EU rivals and face ruin, if the problem is not tackled.
The rule restricts non-EU nationals to a maximum 90-day stay within any rolling 180-day period across the entire Schengen Area. This includes major countries such as France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria and Romania.
Under the recently launched EU Entry/Exit System (EES), the Schengen 90/180 rule will be applied much more strictly, as the currently inefficient manual passport stamping will be replaced with automated digital tracking of non-EU visitors.
Under this new system the 90/180-day rule will be enforced through mandatory biometric registration, such as fingerprints and or photos at borders to detect overstayers.
The Schengen 90/180 rule applies to the cumulative total of days spent in any of the 29 Schengen countries, regardless of whether the stay is consecutive or broken up, with both entry and exit days counting as full days.
Violations of the rule can lead to fines, deportation, and entry bans ranging from between one and over three years.
Richard Smith, RHA MD, said: “We remain concerned about the road ahead for British businesses operating across borders, and that’s why we continue to push for a professional drivers’ exemption to protect UK jobs, businesses and our economy.
“The full impact of EES won’t be clear for several months. But stricter enforcement of Schengen’s 90 in 180 days rule remains a concern for many UK-based drivers working internationally.
He warned: “For some of our haulage and coach members, this could be devastating and ultimately threaten livelihoods. When UK based international operators face such restrictions, European firms step in and take the work, whilst at the same time, the Treasury loses out on revenue.
“This has the long-term potential to change or destroy a UK firm whose business model heavily relies on international operations. The wider, longer-term cost to the UK economy has never been considered by successive governments who to date have failed to offer protection to UK operators. This must change.
Smith added: “We want to see solutions on and we’ll continue to engage with MPs, stakeholders and decision-makers to find them. The UK - EU reset talks offer a clear chance to find solutions if there’s a willingness.
“We’ll keep sharing member feedback on operational realities, monitoring how EES performs on the ground, and we’ll keep fighting hard for that professional drivers’ exemption.”
