Carriers want to sign protocols with insurers from outside the country to sell them RCA policies at the Financial Supervision Authority (ASF) base rate, Vasile Stefanescu, president of the Confederation of Operators and Authorized Carriers of Romania (COTAR), said on Wednesday, Agerpres reported. At the same time, he noted that the employers’ organization is not involved in this protest by transporters blocking traffic on the A1 on Wednesdayon the ring road of Bucharest, as well as on the belts of large cities.

“We appealed to the Government about our dissatisfaction, and the biggest dissatisfaction for us is the customs. We had to remove weighing from customs since 2007. We are waiting for a meeting with Minister Grindean, which we will hold next week and where we will indicate all the details about no more weighing at customs in Romania. We are not against weighing, but it should take place 10-15 km from customs, as it happens in Western countries. Whoever exceeds, he pays, and that does not mean that we stand in endless queues for 2-3 days at customs. This is our biggest problem,” said Vasile Stefanescu.

Regarding the RCA policy, Stefanescu noted that carriers can enter into protocols with insurers from outside the country who are willing to maintain the basic ASF tariff, given that they are currently paying almost double the price.

“Regarding the RCA policy, I have seen that there is a 3-month extension of the so-called ceiling, although it is not a ceiling. But we will still discuss with the new ASF president next week. I will give you another official statement: we have found third party companies to come in and underwrite RCA policies for us carriers at the base rate, which is what is shown on the ASF website. Not as it happens today. That is, in B0, a truck with 16 tons pays 15,000 – 16,000 lei, and the reference tariff is 8,700 lei. We will make protocols with some external companies that will give us a reference rate because it is normal in a European country. We will pay according to the reference,” Vasile Stefanescu said.

COTAR says it has nothing to do with the transporters’ protest

When asked if the organization is participating in the protests that are taking place on Wednesday in several regions of the country and which are known to be organized by transporters, the president of COTAR said that during this period the organization is not participating in any form of protest.

• “We have nothing to do (with the protest – no). You know that we have many members, and when we organize protests, it shows. We did not organize any protest. Protest is the last form of self-expression. Until then, we try to be friendly with governors, with ministers, let’s get what we want for our guild,” Vasile Stefanescu also said.

Representatives of some representative agricultural organizations said they had nothing to do with the spontaneous protest announced online by farmers from several regions of the country who are heading to Bucharest with several trucks and tractors, but they confirmed the participation of some farmers from their organization.