Both the Freight Transport Association and the Road Haulage Association have welcomed the arrival of the HGV Road User Levy which comes into operation today, 1st April.
The aim of the levy is to make foreign-registered lorries pay to use the UK’s roads. It applies to all vehicles over 12 tonnes and will be charged at the rate of £10 a day or £1,000 a year.
UK-registered vehicles will pay the levy, but will be compensated through a reduction in vehicle excise duty.
Karen Dee, FTA director of policy, said: “Road charges and tolls are part and parcel of operating a truck on the continent. It is only right that foreign HGVs using UK roads should do the same.
“FTA believes that the benefits of the HGV levy for UK operators will go beyond the charge that foreign carriers must pay from 1 April. The associated extension and upgrading of the DVSA and DVA roadside enforcement cameras network offers the potential for more effective enforcement of foreign HGV safety standards.”
And Jack Semple, director of policy at the Road Haulage Association, said: “The levy means that visiting hauliers are legally required to contribute to the cost of our roads for the first time. It also does what is possible, within EU law, to level the playing field between UK hauliers and those from the continent and Ireland.”
