Roadway Update 23 January 2019

Leeds clean air zone charge puts hauliers at risk

The Government has approved Leeds City Council’s CAZ plans which will see pre-Euro VI lorries charged £50 per day from 6 January 2020.

RHA chief executive, Richard Burnett branded the plans ‘punitive’ and said that charging pre-Euro VI HGVs will put hauliers and other businesses at risk.

Some funding may be available for vehicle upgrades; we’re exploring this with the council and will update you when we know more.

Direct Vision Standard consultation – RHA overview

We encourage you to respond to Transport for London’s consultation on their proposed Direct Vision HGV Safety Permit Scheme.

We’ve outlined our planned responses which you might wish to consider.

The consultation is an online survey of five questions.

Closing date is 18 February.

EU citizens – settled status opens

The Government has published guidance to help EU citizens applying for settled status through the EU Settlement Scheme.

Please share this with any of your staff who are interested in applying, but reassure them that there’s no immediate urgency as applications will be open until at least June 2021.

ECMT Permit allocation closes

The application process for ECMT permits has closed.

DVSA will be allocating the permits shortly – probably in the coming week. Successful and unsuccessful applicants will be informed at the same time.

We believe alternatives are likely be made available in time. Whether this means freeing up ECMT permits or creating viable alternatives is yet to be seen.

We’ll keep you informed and recommend that you look out for updates on our RoadwayLive news app.

International Drivers Permits and passports

The Government has published advice about the need for International Drivers Permits (IDP), but it can be tricky to understand. So here’s our simple translation:

If there’s no deal there are two types of IDP that you’ll need to cover all the EU. They cost £5.50 each and you can apply for both types at post offices from 1 February. Until then do nothing as things may change.

Passports are more urgent. If there’s no deal make sure your passport has six-months validity before going to the EU (this is common elsewhere in the world where visas are issued).

Our advice – renew well in advance of March if your passport is coming up to expiry and encourage your staff to check theirs.

Traffic Commissioners’ compliance guidance

The Traffic Commissioners of Great Britain has published some guidance to help you maintain operator compliance.

The bulletin looks at a recent case where an operator didn’t do enough to show that their business would be compliant in the future.

It also features advice on keeping your vehicles roadworthy, and professional competence requirements for transport managers.