Roadway Update 18 March 2020

Coronavirus – what your Association is doing

The RHA is continually monitoring government advice and information on the current COVID-19 outbreak.

We are acting accordingly and are operating as usual.

This includes our essential member services such as help desk, member briefings, training courses, online shop and tachograph functions.

Find out more about what the RHA is doing in response to coronavirus here.

Good news for industry, people and the economy

That was the reaction from the RHA to the news from Chancellor Rishi Sunak that government is to provide a £330bn package of financial measures to help the economy, suffering as a result of coronavirus.

Commenting, RHA chief executive Richard Burnett said: “This is good news for the thousands of businesses that are suffering as a result of the impact of the current pandemic.

“For UK hauliers in particular it’s good news. Their profit margins stand at between 1% and 2% and many are already operating on a knife-edge. For them, these measures represent the difference between make or break.

Read the full story on RoadwayLive here.

Updated government guidance for the transport sector

The GOV.UK page COVID-19: guidance for staff in the transport sector has been updated to reflect the latest developments in the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

The RHA is reviewing the latest government advice on an hour-by-hour basis and is acting accordingly, keeping the haulage industry updated on the latest information from government.

Currently, the best advice continues to be to wash your hands regularly and thoroughly with soap and water.

Read the full story on RoadwayLive here.

London lorry control scheme – suspended

The RHA has welcomed the decision by London councils to suspend enforcement of the London Lorry Control Scheme with immediate effect.

The move is designed to help the freight and logistics industry cope with increasing pressure and demands from the crisis over Coronavirus. It’s hoped it will mean London’s shelves will stay filled with essentials from food to toilet rolls and cleaning products.

The decision was made in response to calls from the RHA and others – including the UK Government – to lift local authority night-time restrictions on deliveries.

Read the full story on RoadwayLive here.

Enforcement of drivers' hours temporarily relaxed

The Department for Transport has issued a guidance document explaining the temporary relaxation of the enforcement of the drivers’ hours rules for delivery of essential items.
It reads:

In response to requests from Industry, the Department for Transport has, pursuant to Article 14(2) of Regulation (EC) No 561/2006, agreed to a temporary and limited urgent relaxation of the enforcement of EU drivers’ hours rules in England, Scotland and Wales for the drivers of vehicles involved in the delivery of food, non-food (personal care and household paper and cleaning) and over the counter pharmaceuticals when undertaking the following journeys.

Read the full story on RoadwayLive here.

Senior Traffic Commissioner issues a Statutory Document in response to COVID-19

The Senior Traffic Commissioner has issued a Statutory Document setting out the approach that traffic commissioners will adopt in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Great Britain.

The document recognises the challenges that the Heavy Goods and Public Service Vehicle industries will face in the coming months and seeks to support it through flexible working practices and a proportionate approach.

Read the full document here.

RHA wins the case for truckers denied access to toilets at distribution centres

Following numerous complaints from members about distribution centres denying drivers the use of toilets, the RHA has taken the matter up with Public Health England.

They were appalled as it is essential that all food and medicine is supplied by HGV, they responded with a letter, which can be found here.

The RHA encourages all haulage drivers to carry a copy of this letter with them, and to show it to staff at sites which are now allowing access to toilets.

Read the full story on RoadwayLive here.