In December, the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) carried out 183 checks on parcel deliverers throughout the Netherlands. During the campaign, ILT inspectors mainly checked the possession and presence of the license for professional freight transport. Nearly 1 in 5 parcel deliverers checked was in violation of this.
The campaign targeted couriers with small trucks and vans and took place on the main road network, at postal depots and in residential areas. A total of 183 parcel deliverers were checked. A total of 33 violations were found in 18 vehicles (37%).
Missing license certificates
In 7 cases, the professional freight transport license was missing. Entrepreneurs (including self-employed persons) are not allowed to carry out freight transport for third parties if they do not have this permit. The company did have a permit for 22 parcel deliverers, but the driver did not have a copy in the vehicle – as prescribed. This may indicate that these companies are using more vehicles than they are licensed for. 2 parcel deliverers also drove with a heavier load than was allowed for their vehicle. An official report has been drawn up for these violations.
courier industry
The courier sector has been in the news regularly lately. Road Freight Transport Team Leader Mark van der Ham: “Consumers are ordering more and more online and prefer to have their packages delivered as quickly as possible without delivery costs. Especially around the holidays in December, which put extra pressure in this sector. We therefore expected a higher risk of violations. Postal companies often outsource parcel delivery to subcontractors, who in turn outsource this to subcontractors. With this campaign, we wanted to test whether these subcontractors carry out the transport in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations.”
Rules for freight transport couriers
The ILT supervises various rules for freight transport. For commercial transport of parcels with delivery vans and (small) trucks, a courier company must in many cases have a license for professional goods transport (NIWO). This applies if the vehicle has a payload of more than 500 kilos. Self-employed drivers without personnel (zzp'ers) need a professional freight transport license themselves. The carrier's vehicle may not carry more weight than the maximum payload. The purpose of the rules is to combat unfair competition and promote the safe transport of goods, according to the ILT.
Also read: Sales of light and heavy commercial vehicles up in 2021
Also read: Sales of light and heavy commercial vehicles up in 2021
