How we're representing members from each UK nation

Although our policy aims are fully aligned across the UK, we have three devolved parliaments with three different parties running them, so often a more localised approach is needed when tacking industry issues.

In Scotland we represent members from Berwick to Lerwick, the urban and the rural over all 32 local authority areas. In Wales the same applies - over 22 local authorities with 11 In Northern Ireland. So, while it is mostly the “Macro” issues at Holyrood, Stormont and Senedd that make the headlines, it is often the work on the ground floor that makes the difference.

You can read our suggestions to Government in our Mission Driven: A blueprint for delivery document. 

Here is how our UK policy aims apply to the devolved nations:

Skills

The way skills training is funded varies across the UK. The bootcamps in England have proved to be highly successful but the levels of funding available there are vastly higher than in the rest of the UK. 

In Scotland we deliver driver training to the wider industry, bringing new entrants in many roles to our members. 

We stand with our colleagues in training to push for reforms, not only in funding but in the creation of a wider driving apprenticeship which would allow candidates to develop into HGV, LGV and PSV drivers to fill gaps across the wider sector. 

In Wales and NI there are shortages not only of drivers, but technicians and the challenges lie in getting colleges to cover these courses. We look to develop and expand what we do in Scotland to increase service delivery in the other devolved nations to support members. 

Our work in lobbying the UK Government to reform the Apprenticeship Levy to allow the draw-down of funding for other types of training would be of clear benefit to the rest of the UK.

Infrastructure

Regardless of where your business is within the UK, we all need the roads to perform our duties and our message to all the governments is the same, investment in roads is vital. 

While there are many high-profile projects taking place that grab the media’s attention (the A9, A83 spring to mind) the industry suffers from projects that have stalled or been postponed due to lack of funding. The M4 in Wales is a case in point. The tailbacks every day make Wales a more difficult and costly place to do business. 

The same can be said of the York St Interchange in Belfast. The long-term delays to this crucial link between M2,M3 and Westlink, hampers freight and passenger movements alike and adds unwelcome cost and delay. 

In Scotland the A96 dualling has stalled, the A82 is crying out to be upgraded and where is the £8 million promised for the A75 in Hendy’s "Union Connectivity” report. 

It is incumbent on RHA to keep pushing for these key roads (and many others) to be developed as promised, and funding to be diverted to do so.

Roadside Facilities

Safe and secure parking facilities across the UK are at a premium. Freight crime is on the rise and there are fewer and less places for drivers to park in safety, this is felt even more acutely in most of the devolved nations than in England. The closing of Lockerbie services a couple of years ago meant another 200 spaces removed from an already sparse list of HGVC parking facilities in Scotland. Transport Scotland undertook a full audit of HGV parking on the Scottish network but unacceptably, that project has not moved on in the last two years. We continue to remind Transport Scotland of their duties. 

NI is relatively well catered for in terms of parking facilities but Wales, like Scotland, is in poor shape. The RHA has made it clear to the respective Cabinet Secretaries of both nations that the planned Freeport developments (Cromarty and Forth in Scotland, Anglesey, and Milford Haven/Port Talbot in Wales) must have safe and secure parking for drivers at or around the facilities as a starting point and both governments need to commit to national audits of parking spaces in their respective networks. In no other sector would being unsafe at work be tolerated. Our drivers deserve better.

Net Zero

Almost everyone accepts that the move towards net zero comes from a good place and should be supported. Our position is exactly that with the caveat that the transition from fossil fuels to hydrogen or electric must be a just transition, with a clear pathway and financially supported by government. 

There has to be huge investment in charging infrastructure and the industry must not be left with stranded assets, vehicles with little or no value making the barriers to entry even greater. We have been able to work closely with the devolved nations on matters such as Low Emission Zones and worked with the Scottish government to increase their understanding of how freight moves. This has led to a longer lead time (5 years from outline discussions to implementation), clarity on fines, alignment in standards and a more pragmatic implementation that we have witnessed in England.

We have been able to influence the 20mph speed limit debate in both Wales and Scotland. The former apparently changing back from the 20mph default to its previous 30mph position and persuading the latter to avoid the same mistakes Wales made in adoption. 

We continue to push for greater unity across the UK regarding HGV speed limits and are working with Transport Scotland and the Scottish Govt to increase the limit from 40mph to 50 mph on A roads in line with England and Wales. 

The same piece of work will be undertaken in NI to match England and Wales. We are also currently partnering with Invest NI on the requirements to decarbonise NI fleets.

International

Brexit saw a marked change in how freight moves to and from NI and we are leading the way in supporting members through these changes. We facilitate regular meetings between members and HMRC and the Trader Support Service to try to ease the cost and bureaucracy attached to freight movements between Great Britain and NI. We are also involved in meetings with the North/South Council about movements across the island of Ireland, looking at where alignment of standards may facilitate movements.

We work closely with the ferry companies to promote our members island movements in Scotland and ensure that slots and schedules match customer needs. We will be working with CalMac on improving relationships with hauliers on the islands and creating a better understanding of the criticality of time bound produce to the Scottish economy and the importance of scheduling to ensure goods get to markets in Europe and elsewhere.

Cost and Regulation

Road haulage is a low margin sector, and any unplanned costs are unwelcome. The RHA has been working with Goverments in Holyrood, Stormont and Senedd to ensure that decision makers understand the impact of congestion, diversions, bureaucracy and compliance to members. Although we speak to governments about the overall implications, perhaps the biggest difference we make is to individual cases at local level. In the past few months, the RHA team has been:

• Helping members gain earned recognition
• Successfully challenging wrongly alleged driver infringements
• Helping operators gain their ‘O’ licenses and variations to licenses
• Advising on company restructures
• Helping members with ADR requirements for international movements
• Successfully challenging fixed penalty notices wrongly applied for drivers hours infringements
• Successfully supporting members on incorrect detentions of vehicles and loads
• Facilitating meetings between members and their MP’s/MLA’s/MSP’s across the whole of the devolved nations

To name but a few. These things happen every day and we do it without fuss or fanfare. It is what we do to add value for our members and in addition this tear so far over 200 members from the devolved nations have attended free information events and briefings held by RHA to hear about topics such as our policy work, with the same numbers and higher planned for the autumn.