Changes to working time regulations for transport workers have caused widespread confusion among drivers and clients, according to recruiters in the sector.

Since the EU Road Transport Working Time Directive came into force on 4 April, drivers’ hours have been limited to 48 per week. Existing safety laws already limit the number of hours a day a driver can work to nine, but they can do 10 hours a day twice a week.

Drivers typically top up their overtime to around 55 hours by loading and unloading trucks, but additional hours involving any kind of work have been outlawed with the new regulations.

Confusion has arisen among both clients and drivers about when they can work, and firms have had to call on additional pools of ad-hoc labour to overcome a shortage of drivers.

Under the regulations, agencies have an obligation to record hours worked and ensure any third parties they work with are also compliant. This means that many agencies have been forced to invest in new timesheet systems.

“We have invested in timesheet-scanning hardware, software and external legal advice,” said Scott Davis, an in-house lawyer at driving recruiter ADR Resources. “We’ve invested a lot of money and it’s an investment that’s not returnable.”

Ray Pugh, managing director of industrial agency Omega Workforce, said that many of his firm’s clients were poorly prepared for the changes to the rules after receiving minimum information from the lawmakers in the EU. “There’s a great deal of confusion in the marketplace. The EU has not taken enough due care to draw awareness,” he told Recruiter.

The Road Haulage Association has predicted a massive driver shortage as a result of the changes, since overtime has always been a key attraction of the job.