EC plans to raise costs
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• Higher track costs, a simplification of drivers' hours rules and the introduction of a tamper-proof tachograph are called for in a European Commission White Paper.
The paper, entitled The Future Development of the Common Transport Policy, says hauliers do not pay for the environmental damage their trucks cause. It wants to "incorporate into transport prices the infrastructure and external costs which are not presently taken into account". Tax benefits may be available for LGVs used in intermodal work, or those with special environmental or safety features.
The commission attacks the present drivers' hours rules as "too complicated for easy application with current technology". It is known to be evaluating electronic black boxes to replace tachographs.