The transport industry insists on greater responsibility on the part of the state for the state of road safety and rejects the claims that carriers are among the main causes of serious accidents.
“Drivers of heavy trucks are not murderers. They do not go out on the road with the intention of causing death. These are professionals who work and earn their living honestly“, said the executive director of the Chamber of Road Carriers in Bulgaria Dimitar Dimitrov for “Wake up” and Nova TV.
According to him, the industry's reaction is not because of the increased control and inspections on the road, but because of the dissatisfaction accumulated over years of accusations against carriers by institutions and experts.
Dimitrov also commented on statements by the Minister of Transport related to the state of the road infrastructure, pointing out that according to carriers, some of the road facilities do not meet the necessary requirements.
„About 80% and more of the carriers in Bulgaria carry out transport throughout Europe. We are in favor of increased control“, he emphasized, but added that the Executive Agency „Automobile Administration“ suffers from a shortage of employees and inspections during the weekends are insufficient.
According to him, the main problem on the road is not only the drivers, but also the infrastructure. “The silent killer on the road is the road itself“, said Dimitrov.
He cited as an example sections of the “Hemus“ highway, where serious accidents with trucks often occur during rain. According to him, the reason is the quality of the pavements and the materials used, which can make the road dangerously slippery in wet weather.
The representative of the transport industry defined some of the actions of the institutions as administrative pressure on carriers. According to him, there are cases in which orders for restrictions are published immediately before their entry into force, which makes business difficult.