Respect the law
Contracts and instructions must respect the law, including safety, working hours, rest and payment obligations.
EETC · v3.3
European Ethical Transport Charter
Ten commitments to respect people, pay fairly and make responsibilities clear in transport.
By signing, we commit to reviewing our practices and documented problems, taking responsibility and agreeing proportionate action where appropriate. We ask for a genuine commitment to improvement, not perfection.
Plan working hours and report incidents
Plan nights, weekends and last-minute changes without assuming permanent availability. Each party must provide reliable information and report incidents affecting the service as early as possible.
Take responsibility for what you control
Do not automatically pass costs or penalties to someone who could not reasonably prevent the problem. Using an intermediary does not remove responsibility.
Do not delay payment with extra paperwork
Proof of delivery should show that the job is done. Internal approvals and unnecessary documents must not add artificial delays to invoicing or payment. Keep disputed claims separate from undisputed amounts.
Record waiting time and agree how it is handled
A waiting driver and vehicle cannot carry out another job. Record and communicate waiting time outside the carrier’s control, and agree its operational and financial treatment in advance.
Agree penalties before accepting the job
Significant penalties must be known and agreed before accepting the job. Later changes require agreement. Penalties must have a cause, evidence, a proportionate amount and a genuine opportunity to challenge them.
Match long-term investment with real commitment
If you require dedicated vehicles, staff or reserved capacity, offer reasonable stability and protection when work is reduced or stopped.
Know who carries the goods
Subcontracting can be useful. Keep the actual carrier identifiable and require an agreed, controlled and traceable process for further subcontracting.
Allow unsafe or unlawful work to be refused
A person or company must be able to refuse unsafe, unlawful or substantially changed work without automatic retaliation. Clear, lawful contractual commitments still apply.
Share the effort of greener transport fairly
Cleaner transport may require investment and extra work. Do not automatically place all additional costs and risks on the party least able to bear them.
SIGNATORY COMMITMENT
The Signatory Commitment
By signing, we commit to reviewing our practices and documented problems, taking responsibility and agreeing proportionate action where appropriate. We ask for a genuine commitment to improvement, not perfection.
The Signatory Commitment
Respect mandatory applicable law.
Review what actually happens in our transport relationships, not only what contracts say.
Recognise the human reality of night work, weekends, relays, short notice and exceptional schedules.
Avoid automatically transferring consequences to parties that did not reasonably control their cause.
Avoid unnecessary administrative or documentary processes that artificially delay invoice eligibility or payment after proper performance.
Significant penalties must be known and agreed before accepting the job. Later changes require agreement. Penalties must have a cause, evidence, a proportionate amount and a genuine opportunity to challenge them.
Match structural resource commitments with reasonable commercial stability and transition protection.
Maintain reasonable visibility and control over material subcontracting under our responsibility.
By signing, we commit to reviewing our practices and documented problems, taking responsibility and agreeing proportionate action where appropriate. We ask for a genuine commitment to improvement, not perfection.
Never present Signatory or Member status as certification, verification or proof of compliance.
A signature is a commitment, not proof.
Signing means making a commitment. It does not certify your company or prove that every practice has been checked.