UK road usage costs implemented for foreign truck operators

From midnight overseas operators of trucks weighing more than 12 tonnes must pay a time-based charge of up to £1,000 a year or £10 a day to use UK roads.

The measure has been roundly welcomed by UK transport industry groups, which have been calling for something similar for many years – although most wanted the DfT (Department for Transport) to go further.

"Until now operators of foreign HGVs have paid nothing in UK taxes: they pay vehicle tax in their own country, and buy low-taxed diesel before entering the UK, and in so doing save up to £200 on a full tank of fuel," comments Karen Dee, FTA director of policy.

"The levy won't fully redress this imbalance in costs, but it does create a fairer arrangement for UK operators," she continues

But Dee takes comfort from other measures: "FTA believes that the benefits of the HGV levy for UK operators will go beyond the charge... 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," she observes.

RHA (Read Haulage Association) takes a similar view. "The levy ... does what is possible within EU law to level the playing field between UK hauliers and those from the continent and Ireland," states RHA director of policy Jack Semple.

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