Polish Carriers Slam SENT System as 'Tormenting Entrepreneurs'

Road carriers in Poland are voicing strong opposition to the SENT system, a national electronic transport monitoring mechanism. They describe the system as punitive and claim public authorities are unwilling to engage in constructive dialogue with businesses. Dariusz Matulewicz, president of the West Pomeranian Road Transport Association (ZSPD), stated that the association receives weekly reports of entrepreneurs facing severe fines under the SENT regulations.

These fines can reach up to 20,000 Polish zlotys for each infraction. Matulewicz highlighted cases where carriers receive substantial penalties, such as 60,000 zlotys, for multiple minor or unintentional errors, like typographical mistakes. He argued that such penalties are unsustainable for businesses, emphasizing that while intentional violations warrant punishment, minor errors should be treated with more leniency.

Carriers contend that the SENT system, particularly after its expansion in March to include goods like clothing and used apparel, functions primarily as a revenue-generating tool for the state treasury rather than an effective compliance mechanism. They argue the penalties are disproportionate to the value of the transported goods, with failure to declare a shipment potentially incurring a fine of 46% of the goods' value, but no less than 20,000 zlotys. Additional fines of 10,000 zlotys each apply for missing data updates or non-functional GPS devices. Despite some cosmetic changes made in May by the Ministry of Finance, which exempted the smallest entrepreneurs from certain obligations, carriers deem the adjustments insufficient.