Polluting, foreign trucks can drive into cities and commercial areas unchecked, thus circumventing the environmental zone, as camera systems can only check Dutch license plates.
The reason the cameras cannot check foreign number plates is that there are no European agreements on the exchange of licence plate data for environmental offences. The problem is not only a problem in inner cities, but also, for example, on Rotterdam's Maasvlakte.
Especially trucks from Eastern Europe, where the environmental rules do not yet apply, can drive through more easily this way. Transport Logistiek Nederland (TLN) tells Algemeen Dagblad that it is also working on the issue, just as several municipalities have already sounded the alarm with the Lower House and in Brussels.
The Vetron, an interest group for self-employed drivers, calls it unfair competition. These self-employed drivers already face competition from lower-paid foreign colleagues from Eastern European countries such as Romania and Hungary. 'This adds to that,'' Anton van der Perk, chairman of the interest organisation, told the Algemeen Dagblad.
The message is not entirely new. The municipality of Rotterdam itself already reports it on its website and has introduced a registration requirement for foreign trucks. Those who do not register can be fined €2,250 if violation is detected. A lack of inspectors has meant that these fines have not yet been handed out
