Stand or pay: foreign carriers will be forced to repay debts
Foreign carriers who have debts on toll roads or in the Platon system will not be able to leave Russia or enter our country until the debt is paid off. Foreign trucks with a preponderance or exceeding the established dimensions will be able to continue driving on Russian roads only after these violations have been eliminated or special permits have been issued. This will make it possible to equalize the rights of domestic and foreign cargo carriers, experts say. The effect of the new rules will strongly depend on law enforcement practices and specific mechanisms for their application, industry experts believe. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
Customs does not give the go-ahead
The customs authorities will receive additional grounds for prohibiting trucks belonging to foreign carriers from crossing the state border of the Russian Federation. The relevant resolution was adopted by the Government of the Russian Federation and published on the official Internet portal of legal information.
According to the document, which comes into force on September 1 of this year, trucks belonging to carriers from other countries will not be able to cross the state border of Russia both at the exit and at the entrance if the owners have arrears in paying for toll roads, as well as for "payment in compensation for damage caused to roads by vehicles." weighing more than 12 tons" — the Platon system. Customs officers will check whether these debts are registered for a foreign truck right at the checkpoints across the state border.
If the transportation documents are issued in electronic form, the decision to ban the movement of such a truck will be made by marking "No traffic" in the information system of the customs authorities. Traditional paper media will be stamped with a "physical" "No follow" stamp, certified by the signature and personal seal of the customs officer who established such a ban. At the same time, an order will be issued to the carrier demanding payment of the corresponding debt, indicating all the details necessary to make the payment.
To carry out control, customs officers will have access to information from the State Information System on State and Municipal Payments (GIS GMP), the Ministry of Transport explains. The relevant request will be sent through a single system of interdepartmental electronic interaction, the department notes.
— The fact of payment is recorded in the GIS GMP: if the debt is repaid, the previously generated charge is excluded from the system. Thus, customs officers will be able to quickly find out if the driver has a debt and decide whether to allow the vehicle to pass. Also, thanks to integration with GIS GMP, control will become more operational and transparent: the decision on the truck's admission to further traffic will be made on the basis of up—to-date data in real time," the press service of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation said.
The Ministry of Transport notes that the new rules apply to all international transportation through Russia, including transit flights that pass through our country without entering the territory of other EAEU member states. The main purpose of these innovations is to increase payment discipline among foreign carriers and ensure compliance with Russian legislation when using domestic road infrastructure.
Another reason for banning the passage of foreign trucks, according to a government decree, will be "exceeding by more than 10% the permissible vehicle weight or the permissible axle load or exceeding its size." In this case, the continuation of the trip will be possible after the identified violations are eliminated or the carrier receives a special permit for heavy or bulky cargo transportation.
Align the conditions
The new rules create a fair balance in the international transportation market, says Sergey Burago, President of the Association of Participants in Foreign Economic Activity in the Field of Customs and Logistics Services for Business Development Assistance, member of the Public Council under the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation. According to him, a foreign carrier that evades payment gets an unreasonable price advantage over law-abiding domestic competitors and, in fact, shifts the cost of road repairs to the Russian budget.
— While Russian cargo carriers fully and transparently compensate for the damage caused to highways, some foreign companies could accumulate debts and actually operate our road infrastructure for free. The decision to close the border to trucks with outstanding debts removes this "gray zone" and puts all market participants on an equal footing, he believes.
Since the payment verification will take place automatically, if there is no debt, the truck passes through the checkpoint without delay, Sergei Burago notes. This is an example of digital, rather than bureaucratic, control that eliminates downtime at the border, he emphasizes.
The additional restrictions and prohibitions imposed by the government on foreign cargo carriers are a normal global practice, Igor Morzharetto, partner of the Autostat analytical agency, told Izvestia.
— Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for foreign carriers not to pay for the passage of their trucks on Russian toll roads, especially those with a barrier-free toll collection system, and also not to pay for the passage of federal highways in the Platon system. Mechanisms for countering such defaulters, similar to those introduced by our government decree, have long been operating in non-CIS countries. And our neighbors, for example, in Belarus, have proven themselves well," Igor Morzharetto said.
Implementation issues
Some experts interviewed by Izvestia, while generally recognizing the benefits of introducing new rules, are still skeptical about them. The effect of these measures will largely depend on how the legislative changes will be implemented in practice, said Taras Koval, Vice President of the Association of Transport Experts and Specialists.
— It is great if data on non-payment or violation of weight and dimensional parameters will be sent to customs officers in real time. However, so far this information is often reflected with a very long delay. I have examples of how the violation was recorded back in March, and the fine for it came to the carrier just a couple of days ago. In this scenario, the effectiveness of the new measures will be minimal," he said.
In addition, in addition to the data from the cameras, it is necessary that customs officers receive information about violations recorded by traffic inspectors, employees of Rostransnadzor and other bodies controlling the transportation of goods, Taras Koval believes.
Employees of these authorities, along with customs officers, should also be given the authority to ban foreign debtor or violator carriers from crossing the border, said Vladimir Matyagin, president of the Gruzavtotrans Association. At the same time, restrictions should apply not only to the carrier company, but also to drivers of a foreign truck, he believes.
— After all, it is the driver who covers the license plates of the car in front of the frames, it is he who drives the truck without paying the "Plato" or toll road. If for some reason such a driver has crossed the border, then he can already return to Russia in another truck, which does not have debts and violations. Therefore, in this case, the personal responsibility of a foreign trucker is also necessary," Vladimir Matyagin believes.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
