Transport companies claim they have little to fear from new laws

The police now have the power to impose fines of from zl. 200 to zl. 15,000 on forwarding agents who violate transport regulations. The government hopes to tighten control on forwarders by following examples set by the European Union. It is believed that such fines will lower problems such as transporting cargo on unsuitable or unsafe vehicles, as well as cut the numbers of trucks that fail to pay road charges. In October at least 80 inspectors will roam the highways, stopping vehicles at will. According to forwarding agents the new regulations are too general and open to abuse. "It seems that agents will have to pay for driver's mistakes," said Janusz Lacny, president of the Road Transport Association. According to Lacny the regulations fail to specify who is responsible for particular offenses, whether it is the agent, the driver or the shipper. Transport companies say despite the new fines it still pays to break the laws and bear the consequences, rather than to stay the right side of the law. (Puls Biznesu, p. 8) K.S.