The District Court in the Netherlands (Kantonrechter) sided with a truck driver whom the employer dismissed "on the spot" (ontslag op staande voet) for refusing to violate road safety rules.
As noted by the industry publication Transport Online in a publication dated June 9, 2026, the cause of the labor conflict was the company's demand to start a trip at 04:00 AM. The problem was that the driver's previous work shift had ended the night before at 23:00. The court found the order to get behind the wheel after a five-hour break absolutely illegal and grossly violating European standards for minimum rest time.
In his interim decision, the judge not only confirmed the illegality of the employer's instructions but also obliged the transport company to provide the employee with a full package of work documentation: payslips (loonstroken), official registration of hours worked, and tachograph data.
The availability of these documents is necessary for the driver for the next step — recovering wage arrears and financial compensation for overtime work from the former employer, which are guaranteed by the industry collective agreement (CAO Beroepsgoederenvervoer).
As a reminder, European driving and rest-time rules apply equally to Ukrainian drivers working routes through Poland and other EU countries.