The case in summary The Swedish Road Administration demands that the truck company A. Pedersen & Sønn be removed from the development of the E10 Hålogalandsveien, a project estimated at NOK 9.2 billion. The Swedish Road Administration has uncovered a total of 1,832 violations of the driving and rest time regulations by the company, of which 783 are categorized as “very serious violations”. A. Pedersen & Sønn rejects the claims from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration and will follow the case further in the legal system Skanska, which has the main contract for the project, only became aware of the case at the end of August and must now find a replacement for A. Pedersen & Sønn to ensure progress and quality in the project. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – It is very rare that we see such a large scale, with so many serious breaches and that it is repeated. That’s according to project director Stein Johnny Johansen in the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. The development of the E10 Hålogalandsveien is Northern Norway’s largest transport project and is estimated to cost NOK 9.2 billion. 82 kilometers of new road, seven completely new tunnels will be built and the driving time between Harstad and Sortland will be reduced by 40 minutes. On the E10 / Hålogalandsveien is the Gullesfjord junction. Extensive changes are to be made here. Photo: Tomas Rolland / Norwegian Public Roads Administration After two years of negotiations, it became clear that only the contractor Skanska would do the work – and was awarded the contract. Now the Norwegian Public Roads Administration is sounding the alarm about one of Skanska’s subcontractors, and is demanding that the truck company be removed from the entire project. – It is because the company has had repeated breaches of the driving and rest time regulations. The breaches have been numerous and serious, says Johansen. Believes they have uncovered over 1,800 violations The Road Administration says they have uncovered a total of 1,832 violations, how 783 are categorized as “very serious violations”. Many of the breaches are linked to the construction of the E10. – Most of the violations are failure to deliver documentation, which is something the carriers are obliged to deliver when we have controls. Then there are others who commit real violations of driving and rest time, says Johansen. Stein Johnny Johansen is project director at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. Photo: Irene R. Skaue / Norwegian Public Roads Administration There are digital tachographs on all vehicles, and the Public Roads Administration has requested data from these. – In part we did not get the data we requested, and in part we discovered errors and shortcomings in what we have received, Johansen continues. How much drivers drive and rest is recorded in a tachograph, which is fitted on board the vehicles. Photo: se5000.com He says that the same company has previously been subjected to supervision in both 2011 and 2016. – It was the same type and amount of violations then as well. So it’s a company we’ve had under our watch for a long time. They have now asked Skanska to find another subcontractor by the end of the year. – The company has also been reported to the police, says Johansen. Driving and rest time in brief Daily driving period After a maximum of four and a half hours of driving, you must take a 45-minute break. The break must not be used for other work, you must rest. 24-hour rest The main rule is 24-hour rest of eleven consecutive hours or at least three + nine hours every 24 hours. The 24-hour rest period can be reduced to nine hours a maximum of three times between two weekly rest periods. Weekly driving period Total driving time per week is a maximum of 56 hours (subject to agreement according to the rules on working hours for drivers). If you drive two weeks in a row, the total driving time cannot exceed 90 hours (assuming an agreement according to the rules on working hours for drivers). Weekly rest After six days at the latest (after 144 hours), you must take a weekly rest of at least 45 hours. The weekly rest period can be reduced to 24 hours every two weeks (the reduction must be compensated with a corresponding rest period). If you are covered by the driving and rest time regulations, you must have a tachograph in the vehicle. The tachograph keeps track of the driving time and ensures that you know when to take a break. The purpose of the regulations is to safeguard traffic safety and ensure equal conditions of competition, as well as safeguard the driver’s working conditions. Source: Statens vegvesen Managing director: – Reacts with shock and disbelief Kjell Ivar Larsen is managing director of A. Pedersen & Sønn Lastebiltransport AS, which has a contract to transport loads in the project. He says the company reacted with shock and disbelief to being thrown out of the contract worth over NOK 300 million by the Norwegian Road Administration. – In our view, the replacement requirement is a completely disproportionate reaction. They dispute the Swedish Road Administration’s claims that the company, despite repeated sanctions, “does not implement statutory procedures relating to the registration and storage of driving and rest time data”. – We strongly reject these claims. In August last year, the first spade roof was done by an excavator on the project – which leads to large masses that have to be transported away. Photo: Hege Kristin Hagen / news Larsen says they disagree with the Road Administration’s assessment, and points out that much of the driving has taken place in tunnels and in closed construction areas. – The provisions for driving and rest time do not apply there, but rather the working time provisions apply. – This is work on a closed facility, here tunneling, which large parts of the contract deal with, he adds. He says the consequence of the company being thrown out of the project is that there will be redundancies, but that the last word has not been said. – We will follow this up with the judiciary. Skanska is one of the world’s largest construction companies. In Norway, the company has over 4,100 employees. Photo: Knut Reitan / news Skanska: – Need to find a replacement – The Swedish Road Administration has demanded that we have to replace A. Pedersen & Sønn, which they are entitled to under given conditions. That’s what Skanska’s executive vice president for communications, Audun Brandt Lågøyr, says. He says Skanska first became aware of the case between the lorry company and the Swedish Road Administration at the end of August. – Now we have to get a replacement for this company in place so that we can ensure progress and quality in the work we have to do. Audun Brandt Lågøyr is director of communications at Skanska. Photo: Gudim – Should Skanska have known about these breaches? – No, this is information about driving and rest time regulations that we do not have access to. It is a process between the company and the Norwegian Road Administration. Skansa says they have worked for many years to ensure that they only give contracts to serious companies, and follow up on these. Published 14.10.2024, at 19.10 Updated 14.10.2024, at 19.16
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The Norwegian Public Roads Administration demands that the contractor be replaced after what they believe is a violation of driving and rest time – news Nordland
