DTSO conveys demands to TOBB

The 11th Professional Committee of the DTSO, which operates in freight, passenger transport, and logistics, discussed the problems experienced in their sector during their committee meeting held in December. They exchanged views on issues regarding the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure's driver age limit practices for tachograph acquisition, the Transport Electronic Tracking and Inspection System (U-ETDS), digital tachograph data transfer, and visa procedures.
As a result of the discussions, the demands received from the sector were conveyed to TOBB under the signature of DTSO Chairman Erdoğan Bıyık.
As you know, the deadline for the transition to the 'Transport Electronic Tracking and Inspection System' and 'Digital Tachograph Data Transfer' by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure was June 30, 2020. With the publication of the Official Gazette, this period was extended to January 1, 2021, for the transport electronic tracking and inspection system, and to January 1, 2024, for digital tachograph data transfer.

The demands from the members were listed as follows;

“Extending the deadline of January 1, 2024, for the 'mandatory data entry into the U-ETDS system' required by Article 40 of the Road Transport Regulation by another two years.
Making the necessary initiatives to extend the deadline of January 1, 2024, for the obligation to send tachograph data to the card-issuing authority by another two years and to ensure that no warning penalties are issued.
In order to use the driver resource efficiently, regarding driver age limit practices, it is observed that both in the AETR Agreement to which our country is a party and in the European Union's 2006/1267 EC Driving Licenses Directive, there is no upper limit for driver ages, only a minimum age limit is determined. The profession of professional truck driving is a profession based on dedication, serious experience, arduousness, danger, and patience, and it is a profession based on experience. However, it has been reported that the demand for this profession is decreasing day by day, and the fact that our experienced drivers who are in good health are leaving the sector due to the age limit is putting companies in a difficult position.
The Road Transport Regulation includes a requirement that drivers must not have reached the age of 66, and with a regulation made by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, the age limit in question was arranged as not having reached the age of 69 until December 31, 2023. The regulation in question was made for many drivers whose health is suitable for the driving profession; extending the age range by another 2 years is important for experienced drivers to remain in this profession.
On the other hand, professional truck drivers operating in the international road transport sector, which is one of the main transport modes for our country's exports, are experiencing serious grievances due to the problems encountered in obtaining Schengen visas; unfortunately, the visas obtained under difficult conditions by drivers who currently have a Schengen visa but will not be able to practice the profession as of December 31, 2023, due to the age limit will become unusable.”