The Belgian socialist transport trade union BTB-ABVV is launching a multilingual hotline for truckers. They can go there in 21 languages to ask questions about their rights or to report abuse or malpractice.
“Every driver deserves a correct wage, dignified working conditions, and access to help, regardless of nationality or employer,” BTB-ABVV states. “The hotline is a powerful tool for this, and the driver can do this in his language.”
25,000 meetings
BTB-ABVV has been organizing roadshows and meetings with truckers at highway parking lots, logistics hubs, and gas stations in Belgium, both in the north and south of the country, for years. They have already held 25,000 meetings.
These are “a source of information and solidarity,” says chairman Frank Moreels. “They make us stronger in the social dialogue, sharpen our demands, and know what matters to drivers.”
Together with research, the talks highlight “persistent problems,” such as interrupted rest, low or unpaid wages, unrealistic schedules, poor sleeping conditions, social dumping, intimidation, or simply a lack of awareness of rights.
Still many abuses
To assist both Belgian and foreign drivers, the BTB-ABVV is now launching a “truckers’ hotline” to support both Belgian and foreign drivers. Via a QR code, they can access the platform in 21 languages to ask questions or report abuses. For example, drivers from third countries (outside the EU) are increasingly being recruited. They often end up in vulnerable situations, sometimes resulting in exploitation.
For instance, during a large-scale control action carried out on a truck parking lot in the Port of Antwerp a few weeks ago, the police issued fines totaling 133,000 euros.
A total of 108 trucks and their drivers were checked; 106 other trucks were not manned. Of the drivers checked, 65 stayed in the parking lot for their weekend rest, and their employers were found to violate this.
Furthermore, three drivers committed driving and rest period violations, three tachograph use violations were identified, and one driver had an incorrectly installed tachograph. The action was part of a broader framework of national and international cooperation aimed at combating dumping and abuse in the transport sector.
Action Day against Driver Fatigue
Following the launch, BTB ABVV will also participate tonight in the third European Action Day against Driver Fatigue, coordinated by the European Transport Federation (ETF). Professional drivers will be informed about this at several freeway car parks.
More than 60% of truck drivers regularly drive while tired, according to ETF research. BTB ABVV is therefore advocating for a European Safe Rates legislation: a system that sets a minimum rate for transport assignments, ensuring that drivers are paid fairly, companies charge fair fare rates, and principals can be held accountable.
