1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194 
Transport professor proposes low-cost alternative to LRUC
Page 12
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
There's an alternative to the LRUC says a logistics research expert — and it would be cheaper to introduce. David Craik reports.
A LEADING TRANSPORT and logistics academic has proposed an alternative system to the Lorry Road User Charging scheme which, he says, would cost the industry less and could be launched with minimal risk and disruption.
In a report from the Logistics Research Centre at Heriot Watt University, professor Alan McKinnon presents the case against imposing congestion charging until it can be applied to all categories of traffic.
He argues that the "three main objectives of the LRUC scheme — taxing foreign hauliers on a similar basis to those in the UK, decoupling the taxation of trucks from that of cars and varying taxes on trucks — can still be achieved through our proposed system".
McKinnon calls for vehicle excise duty to be abolished and for all lorries to pay a toll per mile travelled, based on their weight. number of axles and impact on the environment, A truck's annual distance could then be used to calculate the annual distance-based toll for that vehicle. Fuel duty would be rebated against this annual toll and foreign drivers and British international hauliers would declare their tachograph mileages on entering and leaving the country. A similar distance-base toll would be created for them.
Richard Turner, chief executive of the Freight Transport Association, says the system is "sound but not appropriate for where we are now". He adds: "It is a system for the 20th century not the 21st. [However] I intend to meet with Alan McKinnon to discuss this."