The Road Transport Directive regulates, for the first time, the working hours mobile workers can work. The road transport (working time) Regulations 2005 will implement this restriction from 23rd March 2005. This will have a substantial impact on the costs and availability of road transport in the UK. There are already shortages of drivers of some classes of vehicle and these changes will exacerbate these issues.

Many employers in the transport and logistics industries have drivers working outside the 48 hours per week maximum imposed by the new regualtions. Many HGV/LGV drivers regularly work 60 - 70 hours per week. This change, therefore will increase the employers requirement for drivers and consequentially their employment costs by up to 30 per cent to maintain their existing service levels.

These changes therefore, are likely to have a significant effect upon waste disposal costs, as the transport element of the cost for a skip is already the most significant. The waste industry is making substantial investments in the purchase of new vehicles and additional drivers to enable them to maintain current service levels but this will obviously be at a cost.