Unite claims the government is not monitoring the number of lorries entering and leaving the UK after it introduced a scheme during the HGV shortage last year.
"It's literally an accident waiting to happen, based on the illegal super-exploitation of these drivers."The trade union's national officer for road haulage, Adrian Jones, described the government as"clueless about how many foreign lorries are currently on UK roads".Sept 2021: HGV driver shortage 'a cocktail of chaos'
"The only on-the-spot inspections to ensure these vehicles are roadworthy and driving regulations are being observed are as rare as hens' teeth," Mr Jones added. "Rather than allowing foreign lorries unlimited access to the UK to tackle driver shortages, the government should be tackling the root causes of the driver crisis - low pay, long hours and the lack of decent parking and welfare facilities for drivers."Day in the life of a continental lorry driverA DfT spokesperson said:"The temporary, additional cabotage rules are one of 32 measures taken which are working to alleviate the effects of the global lorry driver shortage in the UK.
"The department is monitoring the overall uptake of the additional cabotage rules and early indications are that they have been successful in assisting the resilience of supply chains, including providing key connections to ports."