Owner-drivers will have to contend with a 48-hour week under working time legislation in addition to drivers’ hours' rules, after an unsuccessful vote last week in the European Parliament (EP) to permanently exclude the self-employed from the regulations.

Since the Road Transport Directive (RTD) was introduced in 2005, self-employed drivers have been temporarily exempt from the Working Time Directive for the road transport industry and could set their own working hours, as long as they adhered to drivers' hours regulations.

This was due to end last March; but the European Commission has been seeking to permanently exempt them. A vote in the EP last week rejected this proposal by 368 votes for to 301 against.

This is likely to have a detrimental impact on owner-drivers, not only because the number of hours a week they will be allowed to work is reduced, but also because they will now have to keep records on working time to demonstrate that they have been compliant.