n My company has decided X to buy a forklift
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truck which might be required to travel on a road between two separate depots from time to time. Could we classify this as a works truck and thus avoid paying a road fund licence fee?
the vehicle as a works truck, but it depends on the distance between the depots and if the vehicle will carry goods when travelling on a road whether you will have to pay Excise duty.
Schedule 3 of the Vehicles (Excise) Act 1971 defines a works truck as "a goods ,vehicle . . . designed for use in private premises and used on public roads only for carrying goods between such premises and a vehicle on a road in the immediate vicinity or in passing from one part of any such premises to another or to other private premises in the immediate vicinity...."
Therefore if your forklift truck is used to carry goods while on a road, your company would have to pay Excise duty as laid down in Schedule 3 of the Act at £6,65 a year.
Alternatively, if the vehicle does not carry goods while travelling between the depots and the total distance travelled on roads does not exceed six miles a week it could be considered for exemption from duty under Section 7 of the Vehicles (Excise) Act 1971.
If your vehicle can be exempted under Section 7 of the Act, it must still be registered with the Vehicle Licensing Centre at Swansea, however. A You can certainly classify