Schwitzerland
Is the remedy worse than the defect?
Anyone who often drives to Italy has passed here several times.
The heavy traffic center is a famous and infamous checkpoint just before you cross the Alps. A drop of sweated oil hanging from the crankcase can already cause a huge delay. Yesterday something happened that we do not want to leave unmentioned.
A Dutch transporter loaded with necessary medical supplies was rushed to a hospital in Northern Italy. Unfortunately, after checking the trailer, it turned out that one brake disc just did’t reach the minimum thickness of 37mm. The trailer was approved in January. It was found that the brake disc was only 35mm yesterday. Due to the possible danger, the combination could not continue and the trailer had to be repaired on site. So far nothing new here.
Due to the corona crisis, the DAF International Truck Service was not allowed to come there on site and the inspectors gave a number of companies nearby where the trailer could be repaired quickly.
The transporter did not agree with this, because for him this felt like providing work to the local community. Eventually, after the intervention of Transport in Nood, the transporter is allowed to go to a DAF Service Point 53 km further to be repaired there and then 53 km back for final inspection.
In short, he is allowed to go back and forth for 116 km to replace the disk instead of back and forth to Northern Italy to deliver the essential goods.
The trailer is currently being repaired…
Now that we are talking about Switzerland…
Last week we noticed that due to the corona crisis, Switzerland does not allow two drivers (double crew) in a sprinter when they only do international transport. According to the inspector, they do not fall under the category of ‘double crew’ as we know it in trucks over 3.5 tons (or when transporting more than 9 people). So with both the driver cards in slots 1 and 2 of the tachograph. That is of course allowed. So one of the drivers had to wait at the border until his colleague came to pick him up on the way back. When two people will go to work in Switzerland and they can show a work permit, it is allowed to drive together.
This brings us to the latest news. Since yesterday, it is necessary to have code 95 in the Czech Republic to be able to drive as a co-driver. If someone is not authorized to drive a truck, this person is not allowed to help with loading and unloading, for example.