Romanian transporters request French, European authorities to protect professional drivers

The National Union of Road Hauliers in Romania (UNTRR) request the intervention of French and European authorities, as well as the involvement of the Romanian Government in order to protect the professional drivers, as well as the vehicles that transport freight to the United Kingdom of Great Britain, based on the increase of immigrant attacks on road transporters. "The United Kingdom's exit from the European Union led to a drop in the number of transporters that operate on the Great Britain relation, while the number of immigrants has continued to rise, and automatically the trucks have become a sure target for thefts and in their attempt to cross the English Channel. Lately, the situation is completely out of control, authorities are not involved in prevention, only give out fines to road transporters when they find immigrants hiding in the trucks. Although the trucks are equipped with special locks and the drivers are trained, immigrants keep finding ways of boarding vehicles, and if discovered, some resort to violence, so that the drivers' lives are in danger. Despite the fact that the accreditation scheme regarding illegal migration prevention, implemented by the United Kingdom authorities, is beneficial to the road transport, and the road transport companies invest in efficient systems in order to reduce entry on Great Britain's territory of clandestine immigrants, there are still situations where honest drivers are fined if clandestine immigrants are found in the truck. Furthermore, the European infrastructure has a lack of secure parking spaces and adequate accommodations for professional drivers," the UNTRR representatives say in a press release sent to AGERPRES on Monday. UNTRR mentions that it has reported, since 2014, the issue of the lack of secure parking spaces in France, when several Romanian and Polish trucks were vandalized during night time rest. "However, the French and European authorities preferred to take protectionist measures against foreign transport operators, rather than measures of increasing parking safety. UNTRR requests the intervention of European and French authorities, as well as the involvement of the Romanian Government to protect professional drivers, as well as freight vehicles transporting goods to the United Kingdom of Great Britain. Last, but not least, UNTRR requests the Romanian authorities to create secure parking spaces in Romania in order to prevent such incidents, such as the ones in France, from taking place," the press release says. The National Union of Road Hauliers ib Romania is a professional and employers organization, non-governmental, independent, apolitical, founded in 1990. Since it was established and until now, the Union comprises over 16,000 operators that are carrying out internal and international freight and persons transport.AGERPRES(RO - author: Daniel Badea, editor: Mariana Nica; EN - author: Catalin Cristian Trandafir, editor: Maria Voican)

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