In accordance with the current legal status (national and European), as regards the road transport sector, the working time limits of workers are covered by a wide range of provisions with a twofold purpose: to ensure the protection of workers from fatigue during work, as well as to improve road safety in the sector.
A mobile worker shall mean any worker forming part of the travelling staff including trainees and apprentices and who is in service of an undertaking which operates transport services for passengers or goods by road for hire or reward or on its own account (paragraph d, Article 3, Presidential Decree 167/2006).
Working time shall mean the time from the beginning to the end of the work, during which the mobile worker is at his workstation, at the disposal of the employer and exercising his functions or activities, that is to say: the time devoted to all road transport activities in accordance with Article 3 of the Presidential Decree 167/2006.
Driver categorization
- Truck drivers
Trucks are divided into three categories (A, B, C), of which, category A includes the self-employed owner-operator truck drivers, category B includes trucks of electricity, water, gas and telephone companies serving the emergency needs of their network and category C includes the trucks of the remaining public limited companies, industrial factories and enterprises of all kinds. (paragraph 1, Royal Decree 28.1/4-2-38, A’ 35).
- Tourist bus drivers
The basic terms as regards working time limits for tourist bus drivers are included in Joint Ministerial Decision No.51266/1975 (GG 1458 B’), as amended and in force (1907/1987, 594/B’ and 128/1986).
- Taxi drivers and private use vehicles
The Royal Decree of 14 August 1950 (202/A’), as amended and in force, regulates the working time limits as well as the way these two driver categories are recorded.
- Long distance bus (KTEL) drivers
The framework for organizing the working conditions and in particular the working time limits of the KTEL staff are regulated by the general Staff Regulations of KTEL S.A. respecting in each case the relevant national and community law provisions relating to road transport (Article 33 of Law 4663/20).