British hauliers welcome proposals aimed at ensuring that non-UK haulage firms contribute to upkeep of British highways
Lorry drivers will be charged to use roads under government proposals announced on Wednesday, in a move designed to ensure that foreign haulage firms contribute to the upkeep of British highways.
British hauliers will pay the fee but be allowed to claim it back against road tax. The daily charge will be up to £10 for HGVs, or lorries over 12 tonnes, to be introduced in 2015.
At present, Britain is one of the few EU countries not to charge HGV drivers for using its roads. The Department for Transport said the new proposals, outlined at the start of a three-month consultation by roads minister Mike Penning, will create a fairer deal for the domestic haulage industry by "helping to level the playing field with foreign hauliers, boosting their market share and increasing employment and promoting growth in the UK".
British hauliers welcomed the proposals. Kate Gibbs of the Road Haulage Association said the scheme was "good news for UK transport operators and should be welcomed also by motorists, many of whom have complained that foreign hauliers pay nothing for using our roads".
She said the RHA had been working with government officials to get the best scheme possible under EU rules, and urged ministers to press forward with this project as a priority.
Penning said: "Each year there are around 1.5m trips to the UK by foreign registered lorries – but none of them pay to use our roads, leaving UK businesses and taxpayers to foot the bill.
"A lorry road user charge would ensure that all hauliers who use our roads are contributing to their cost, regardless of where they are from – helping UK hauliers to get a fairer deal and increasing employment and promoting growth in the UK."
By law, the scheme cannot discriminate between UK-registered vehicles and vehicles from elsewhere in the EU, meaning both UK and foreign registered lorries will have to pay the daily charge. The DfT says that under the compensation measures it is considering, only around 6% of UK-based hauliers would end up paying more than they currently do in tax.
However, Stephen Glaister of the RAC Foundation warned that previous attempts to introduce road user charges had not worked because of the cost and complexity of collecting charges from hauliers.
The Campaign for Better Transport said the government was letting foreign lorries off lightly. Stephen Joseph said a distance-based charging scheme would raise more revenue that could fund a more efficient, greener freight industry.