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M6 Toll cost climbs once more by 17%
Page 10
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The M6 Toll raises prices — and lowers its appeal to
truck operators. Jennifer Ball reports.
THE HAULAGE industry has accused M6Toll operator Midlands Expressway (MEL) of pricing trucks and vans off the road by raising the toll 17% to £7 from 14 June.
Back in February MEL MD Tom Fanning told Commercial Motor that the firm would extend a £1 discount, keeping the toll at £6 until further notice as it wanted more operators to use the road (17 February). But the FTA says the increase will cost operators who use the road daily an extra £500 a year per truck.
Geoff Dossetter, FTA external affairs director, says: "Sadly the transport industry has always been uncertain as to whether the road operators are totally committed to providing a service for trucks.This price rise offers no comfort.
"During the past 12 months the transport industry has had to endure the problems of substantial increases in the price of diesel and the introduction of the very costly Working Time Directive. Commercial vehicle users of the M6 Toll will now have to very carefully consider their situation."
Pauline Wilson from Stan Robinson Transport agrees. "We have only used the Toll about 10 times because of the cost and this increase will make us even less likely to use it," he says.
Fanning defends MEL's decision, pointing out that £7 still represents a substantial discount on its £11 standard charge for HGVs: "We welcome lorries on the M6 Toll. Their numbers have risen steadily since the road opened and we expect that trend to continue."
But MELhas consistentlyrefusecl to release figures for HG Vs using its motorway as the information is "commercially sensitive" CMS own investigation revealed that just 79 trucks per hour were using road (CM 24 February).