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And the bidding starts now for LRUC technology hopefuls
Page 7
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THE GOVERNMENT last week formally began the selection process for the private companies that will provide the technology to run the Lorry Road User Charge (LRUC), due in 2008. The scheme is likely to involve on-board equipment using satellite or microwave technology to determine distances travelled. All regular users of UK roads will have this equipment permanently installed, but there is likely to be a unit that can quickly be fitted to
trucks which do not use British roads frequently, along the lines of Austria's Go-Box.
The government says that the charges paid by British hauliers for using the roads will be matched by reductions in fuel duty, so there should be no overall increase, although foreign hauliers will routinely pay for using UK roads for the first time. John Healey, the Customs minister, says:"The government wants to make sure that all hauliers using
our roads, including foreign firms, pay their fair share of the costs they impose. The launch of the procurement phase for the Lorry Road User Charge, which is supported by the haulage industry, is a major step towards achieving this goal."
The Freight Transport Association is among those who support the proposed charge, although its chief executive, Richard Turner, warns that the technology needs to be introduced with care.