Roadway Update 3 April 2019

Leeds – Funding for CAZ lorries

Leeds City Council has announced £13.8 million funding to help haulage operators affected by Leeds clean air zone.

Funding of up to £16,000 per HGV (but no more than £85,000 per company) is available for:

• purchasing a compliant HGV (new or second-hand) to replace a non-compliant HGV
• purchasing a CVRAS accredited retrofit for a non-compliant HGV
• paying exit fees for a lease agreement of a non-compliant HGV (for replacement by a compliant HGV)
• paying fees to enter into a new lease for a compliant HGV to replace a non-compliant one.

The application process is onerous and must be complied in full. You can apply through the Leeds website. Deadline is midday on 15 April 2019. Late applications won’t be considered.

RHA Policy Director for England and Wales, Duncan Buchanan, said:

“The timescale for this is unrealistic given the complex rules surrounding the application process. It is also disappointing that authorities continue to peddle the myth that retrofit is an option for HGV’s – when there is not a single CVRAS approval in place for HGVs today.

“We would like to see the application period significantly extended.”

Tachograph trouble

Due to problems with recently issued digital tachograph workshop cards, repairs to existing digital tachographs, re-calibrations and first-time calibration of new tachographs is not currently possible.

DVLA will be issuing replacement cards and anticipate these will be with workshops from Monday 8 April.

The RHA has been told that any vehicle which cannot be calibrated now will not be subject to enforcement action in respect of this requirement until 30 April, where it has not been possible to calibrate a tachograph due to this issue.

Operators must ensure that calibrations are conducted by no later than 30 April 2019.

Continue to book your vehicle(s) with the tachograph center as usual. Where calibration is not possible, request documented proof that the vehicle was submitted for calibration.

Note: Where a tachograph is unable to record driving activities, a manual record should be made and retained on file for all journeys.

DVLA will be issuing wider industry communication and updates in coming days.

Driver CPC – Drivers working for non-UK companies

The DfT is alerting hauliers to the recognition of UK-issued CPC in other member states, including the Republic of Ireland.

In a ‘no-deal’, EU legislation allows UK operators to continue to do most current journeys to, from and within the EU for the rest of 2019. This includes the right for UK drivers to drive for UK operators on all journeys permitted under it, on the basis of a UK-issued CPC.

But the EU won’t recognise UK-issued driver CPC for those employed by an operator based in the EU, including the Republic of Ireland.

Those with a UK driver CPC who are currently working for an EU company can exchange their UK certificate for an EU one, but the request would have to be made before the UK has left the EU.

Exchanging CPC in this way will have no effect on a driver’s ability to work in the UK as EU-issued CPC will continue to be recognised.

Revised Government Brexit checklist

Many members will be aware of the RHA Brexit checklist.

The government also publishes a checklist of its own which covers similar ground but goes into more detail in some areas. It’s focussed on UK issues but for those operating it does start to highlight areas like traffic control and staying informed.

The RHA recommends that international hauliers quickly review it and keep the link handy in the event of a ‘no-deal’ later in April.

RHA in the New York Times

Duncan Buchanan, RHA Policy Director for England & Wales, has been quoted in the New York Times. He laid out just how bad a no-deal Brexit could be for the UK's haulage industry and economy.

There is still a huge amount of uncertainty about just how the UK will exit the EU, but a no-deal Brexit is far from impossible. This is a huge concern for the haulage industry, as it's becoming increasingly unclear that the UK is not ready to deal with the fallout.

Duncan told the New York Times that: “I expect to see long queues at the ports because traders, importers and exporters and the logistics supply chain are not prepared for the new customs arrangements here or in the E.U.”

Read the full story on RoadwayLive.