The Vietnam Automobile Transportation Association (VATA) yesterday submitted a proposal to the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Justice to remove difficulties faced by transport businesses owing to certain regulations in the law on road traffic order and safety as well as related decrees and circulars.
The Vietnam Automobile Transportation Association indicated that according to the current regulation in Vietnam, drivers of commercial motor vehicles are allowed a limit of 48 hours of driving per week, leading to a reduction in drivers’ income from 20 percent to 30 percent due to decreased working hours.
This has also resulted in a 20 percent to 30 percent decline in the overall service capacity of the road transport market, an estimated 20 percent to 25 percent increase in transport fares, 10-11 percent increase in logistics cost.
Therefore, the VATA proposed that the weekly driving limit for commercial transport operators should be adjusted to 70 hours, aligning with the highest standards in developed countries like the United States, the EU and Japan.
The association also suggested that penalties should only be applied for exceeding non-stop driving limits, daily driving limits, and weekly driving limits by more than ten percent of the prescribed time.
Additionally, the VATA recommended that driving time should be aggregated when the vehicle is traveling at a minimum speed of 15 kilometers per hour to exclude traffic congestion scenarios.
The enforcement of driving time regulations on expressways without rest stops has not been applied so far.
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