The EU international freight license has come under the spotlight again following the extension of its requirement to vehicles that were previously exempt from it. Let’s first shed some light on what a Community Road Haulage License is: it is a document (also called a title) that authorizes different companies basically to transport goods in the clear within the European Union.
Document to be renewed every ten years, issued only by the competent authorities of the state (part of the EU members), only after verifications of all access requirements. Checks will be made on the type of product transported for third parties.
The license will obviously have multiple copies, the original version of the license will be kept at the company’s registered office and the certified copies on the various vehicles. They will be used for transportation under the carrier’s name, so it is not transferable to third parties but is nominal.
Community freight license changes
Over the past two years, a number of changes have been made to the Community Connected Freight License by introducing Regulation 2020/1055 on Regulation 1072/2009 (Mobility Package) .
Essentially, these are changes related to access to and practice of the road transport profession aimed at the evolving world of transportation, as expedients to counter shell companies and unfair competition.
In addition, haulers with a Community license and driver attestation are allowed to carry out cabotage operations in a member state other than the one in which they are established.
Community license: previously exempt vehicles affected by the changes
As of May 21, 2022, it has also been stipulated that vehicles with a total mass between 2.5 and 3.5 tons can only carry out international transport if they have a community license. Category of vehicles that were completely exempt from the requirement before the regulation changes.
We recommend that the application for the community license be submitted well in advance this is to avoid incurring business logistics issues with delays on the issuance of the document and the nominal conforming copies for the vehicle.
We would like to remind you that in order to obtain a Community Goods Transport for Third Parties license, the company must already be registered in the National Electronic Register (REN), the Register of Haulers.
The National Electronic Registry basically includes all persons engaged in the road haulage profession. Registering is mandatory, and no truck driver can get behind the wheel without having registered. What are the requirements to register for REN?
- Honorability of the person/enterprise: absence of convictions and serious street crimes
- Highest professional qualification: obtained after taking a training course to enter the road haulage profession, with a final examination
- Financial eligibility: which is certified by the lending institution at the request of the person concerned;
- Presence of establishment: vehicles must always have a business location and the workshop where vehicle maintenance is carried out must also be clearly indicated
- Trucking registration:compulsory for both sole proprietorships and cooperatives
When is the Driver’s Attestation mandatory?
In case the goods to be transported internationally are conducted by a non-EU citizen hauler, in addition to the copy of the nominal EU license, theDriver’s attestation according to Art. 3 Regulation 1072/2009.
This is also a mandatory document in cases where the non-EU driver is the owner, an associate, or a working member of the transport cooperative.
The document will be issued by the offices of the Labor Inspectorate, it is used to ensure safety at work, that is, to certify that the driver has been duly hired to carry out certain types of international transport, every 5 years the document will have to be renewed.
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