National Campaigning Update 25th January 2012
If you have comment on these or any other issues please email campaigning@rha.uk.net
Charging foreign trucks
The RHA has welcomed the government’s proposals to charge foreign trucks for using UK roads, which were published in a consultation by transport minister Mike Penning this morning. It is a good scheme and the government should press ahead strongly to try to meet its original deadline of introduction by spring 2014.
We have discussed the scheme extensively with DfT officials. Foreign trucks will be charged £10 a day or £1,000 a year. There will be no increase in tax for almost all UK hauliers and no increase in administrative burden.
The scheme should be welcomed by both UK hauliers and also by motorists, many of whom have complained to MPs about trucks paying nothing to use our roads. The scheme does not give us everything we would like but – and this is an important point, worth stressing - it is worthwhile and it is the best possible under EU law.
The RHA wants to make a prompt response and urges members to send their views to campaigning@rha.uk.net
Click on the link for the RHA press release:
RHA welcomes charge for foreign hauliers
Fuel duty campaign
The RHA and its other partners within the FairFuelUK were in the Commons today to discuss with MPs how to best make further progress on fuel duty, ahead of the budget on Wednesday 21 March. Further details next week.
FairFuel will be seeking a further reduction in duty and the cancellation of the 3.02 (net of VAT) increase due in August.
New TCs appointed
Department for Transport head of freight logistics Nick Denton and VOSA’s Kevin Rooney have been appointed as Traffic Commissioners for the South Eastern and Metropolitan Area Traffic Office, and the North Eastern Area Traffic Office respectively. They will take up their roles in the spring.
Nick Denton is well known to the RHA having been the policy lead on freight issues generally, and most recently on lorry road-user charging and longer semi-trailers.
Kevin Rooney has also worked with the RHA on initiatives to improve compliance and road safety.
82.7% of Strategic HA journeys ‘on time’
Travel on motorways and A roads has become more reliable.
For the year ending November 2011 new figures from the Department for Transport show that 82.7% of journeys on the Highways Agency managed network were ‘on time’, which was 0.4% better than the year ending October 2011.
This continues the gradual improvement in reliability seen since 2010.
Complaints against unfair sanctions abroad
A helpdesk has been opened to deal with haulage operators’ complaints about treatment and facilities abroad.
For some time it has been an industry vision for hauliers to be able to complain about the efficiency, fairness and management of roadside officials abroad, particularly when it comes to enforcement of the Driving and Rest Rules under Regulation EC 561. Now the IRU is co-hosting a complaints desk on the IRU website. The link is:
http://www.iru.org/en_complaints_desk
Members can access more detail on the scheme by clicking on the link
Complaints against unfair sanctions abroad.pdf
Northern Ireland O licensing from April
An O licensing system is due to be introduced in Northern Ireland from April.
Both the hire and reward sector (which is currently licensed) and own account operators will have to be licensed after April. The aim is to build a safer haulage industry with more environmental protection measures in place near operating centres.
The new arrangements will affect all those running goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes.
For more economic news please go to the Economic Update in the RHA’s policy pages.
If you have comment on these or any other issues please email campaigning@rha.uk.net