Outdated weight rules costing EV fleet operators

Our recent RHA Payload Loss Survey Report confirmed what many operators already knew: current weight regulations are making the transition to electric HGVs harder than it needs to be.

Battery electric HGVs are heavier than diesel equivalents, yet the rules haven’t kept pace. The result is operators losing up to 11.8% of payload capacity and facing significant additional costs.

Our research found payload loss can add more than £28,000 per vehicle, while also increasing the number of trucks needed to move the same volume of freight.

This isn’t about the technology failing. It’s about regulation needing to catch up with the industry’s move towards decarbonisation.

That’s why we’re calling on government to increase the maximum weight limit for electric HGVs to 46 tonnes, raise drive axle limits to 12.5 tonnes, and establish a dedicated technical working group to address the issue properly.

Other European countries have already acted. The UK now needs to do the same if we want operators to invest in zero-emission fleets with confidence.

Read it HERE