Drivers' hours rules relaxation extended while Forth Road Bridge repairs continue

The European Commission has extended the relaxation of drivers’ hour rules once again as the Forth Road Bridge remains closed to the majority of HGV traffic.

The relaxation will now remain in place until 24 March, instead of its former 15 February deadline.

The bridge, which closed in December last year, was previously set to reopen to HGV traffic in mid-February.

At the beginning of this month, however, Scottish transport minister Derek Mackay said that this was more likely to be mid-March, although he announced a phased reintroduction of HGVs to the bridge during off-peak hours.

RHA chief executive Richard Burnett said that it was “essential” that workers “bring a swift conclusion to the repair work that has been undertaken and that the bridge is restored to full capacity as a matter of extreme urgency”, after the trade association predicted the closure was costing the industry up to £600,000 a day.

Earlier this month he called on the Scottish government to reimburse the additional costs hauliers have faced because of the closure.

He said: “The financial impact on the thousands of hauliers who are either based in, or making regular journeys to Scotland has been massive.

“The Scottish government must find the funds to compensate those operators who, through no fault of their own, have found themselves out of pocket for several months.”