The Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety stipulates that drivers are not allowed to drive for more than 48 hours per week, more than 10 hours per day, and for more than 4 hours continuously.
According to Decree 168/2024 on administrative penalties in the field of road traffic, if a driver of a commercial vehicle operates for longer than the prescribed time, or fails to comply with regulations on rest time between two consecutive driving sessions, they will be fined from 3 to 5 million VND. An additional penalty is the deduction of 2 points from their driver's license.
In addition, vehicle owners who allow their drivers to drive continuously for longer than the permitted time will be fined 4-6 million VND (individuals) and 8-12 million VND (organizations). If the vehicle owner is also the one directly driving the vehicle, 2 points will be deducted from their driver's license.
The director of a bus company operating the Hanoi -Lao Cai route said that although his company owns many passenger transport vehicles, it is currently operating at only over 50% capacity due to difficulties in maintaining the number of drivers. Meanwhile, the number of passengers is trending downwards due to the increase in ride-sharing and private vehicle options.
"Many drivers are deciding to change professions because they feel pressured and no longer want to stay in the job, which is putting transportation companies in a precarious situation," the director said.
Meanwhile, truck driver Nguyen Van Binh wondered about the situation: When driving on the highway, nearing the 4-hour continuous driving limit, the driver is not allowed to continue driving, but there are no rest stops or emergency lanes on the road. What should he do? Furthermore, in case of traffic congestion, if the driver has to wait in the truck, will this time be compensated or will it still be counted?
In light of the above situation, the Vietnam Automobile Transport Association recently sent a document to the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Public Security, and the Ministry of Justice requesting the immediate removal of several obstacles for automobile transport businesses, especially regarding regulations on continuous driving time.
Representatives of the Vietnam Automobile Transport Association stated that Vietnam's road system is not yet synchronized, leading to frequent traffic congestion. This is especially true in large cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, where major national highways with high traffic volumes passing through urban areas experience even greater congestion.
Furthermore, some expressways currently lack rest stops, especially the North-South expressway, meaning vehicles have to drive continuously until they exit the expressway before they can find a rest stop.
With such objective difficulties, drivers do not have complete control over their driving time, leading to violations of the prescribed driving time. "These are unintentional actions, known in advance but unavoidable, resulting in heavy penalties for both the driver and the company…," the Vietnam Automobile Transport Association stated.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Quyen, Chairman of the Vietnam Automobile Transport Association, automobile transport businesses operating long-distance routes such as North-South and Northwest routes have always assigned a maximum of two drivers.
However, with regulations limiting drivers to no more than 48 hours per week, no more than 10 hours per day, and no more than 4 hours of continuous driving, businesses have to assign up to three drivers per vehicle to take turns driving. This increases transportation costs, not to mention the difficulty in finding drivers, especially for heavy vehicles like container trucks. Meanwhile, current tractor-trailer designs only have two seats, and regulations only allow two people to sit in them, even if the vehicle has a sleeping berth at the back.
"Therefore, applying regulations and penalties for the aforementioned violations under current conditions, and given that roads do not yet meet the normal traffic flow needs of vehicles, makes it very easy for car drivers to commit violations due to objective reasons...", Mr. Quyen said.
Therefore, the Vietnam Automobile Transport Association proposes that the Prime Minister direct relevant ministries and agencies to study adjustments to increase driving time. Specifically, the maximum weekly driving time should be 55-60 hours, while continuous and daily driving time should be 10% higher than the current regulations.
VN (according to Vietnamnet)Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/lai-xe-lien-tuc-qua-4-gio-bi-phat-3-5-trieu-tac-duong-co-duoc-bu-tru-thoi-gian-403512.html
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