France – a temporary derogation from drivers‘ hours

Following strikes at refineries run by TotalEnergies and ExxonMobil oil companies, several refineries have been closed and the operation of some fuel storage facilities has been severely disrupted.

In this situation, road hauliers are obliged to transport available fuel supplies to distribution points from places of import or storage located further away than usual, which increases distances and journey times. This situation has caused supply problems and tensions at fuel distribution points, especially in border areas.

It is therefore necessary to accelerate and temporarily facilitate the road transport of fuel in the country in order to distribute the available supplies more quickly and prevent shortages. Given the urgency oft he problem, the government has introduced a temporary derogation from the driving time rules:
1. the maximum daily driving time can be exceeded by one hour;
2. the maximum weekly driving time can be exceeded by a maximum of four hours.

Derogations for vehicles transporting fuel in France are in effect until Friday 14 October inclusive.