The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has stalled plans to introduce new requirements for those driving tractors in construction settings, which plant contractors had warned could lead to thousands of redundancies.
The Irish Plant Contractors Association (IPCA) claimed the regulations, that would have made the use of road tyres and white diesel mandatory and would have required drivers to have an articulated lorry licence, were going to result in €40m in new associated costs.
The IPCA also claimed that the changes were introduced by the Road Safety Authority without any consultation with industry bodies.
The association said the situation was posing significant difficulties for construction businesses already struggling to meeting housing and infrastructure targets.
"The introduction of these new rules by the RSA without any consultation with trade bodies such as the IPCA shows a lack of understanding of the challenges the Irish construction industry faces by these faceless bureaucrats," said Brian Coogan, CEO of the IPCA.
The IPCA also said it was perplexed that the rules have been implemented in the construction sector but do not apply to agriculture.
It pointed out that road tyres for tractors cost considerably more and don't work effectively in muddy building sites.
It also described as "laughable" the new driver licensing requirements.
Members of the association have also used green diesel for decades, it added.
However, this afternoon the Road Safety Authority has confirmed to RTÉ News that it will not now proceed with the implementation of the new rules.
This is because it has become aware that the EU’s Fourth Driving Licence Directive in September 2024 will propose a revised definition of tractors.
"Once the directive has been published, the RSA and the Department of Transport will consult with stakeholders in advance of the introduction of any relevant domestic regulations," the RSA said in a statement.
"Until the new EU Driving Licence Directive is approved/enacted, the existing approach to tractor licencing will continue to be in place. The RSA website has been updated to reflect this."
The National Chair of the Association of Farm Contractors in Ireland, John Hughes welcomed the decision.
However, he said it was "unacceptable that Government agencies such as the NDLS and RSA have the power to make changes to the rules with regard to Driver Licence Categories without prior consultation among the relevant and impacted stakeholders".
Mr Hughes said: "We feel that given the interest of our FCI membership we should at the very least be made aware of any changes of wording in order that we could inform our membership."
