Foreign hauliers to pay their way from 2014
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By Laura Hailstone
OVERSEAS OPERATORS will have to pay to use UK roads from April 2014 if the government is successful in pushing through its HGV Road User Levy Bill.
As CM went to press, transport minister Stephen Hammond was using a ‘ways and means’ motion in the House of Commons to get the bill past the first reading.
The findings of the Department for Transport (DfT) consultation on the road user charge were also published this week, and provide more details on what the scheme means for UK hauliers.
According to the document, the majority of UK hauliers will pay no more than £50 in extra costs. There will be a VED reduction to achieve this, as well as grants for vehicles with Reduced Pollution Certificates. UK hauliers will pay at the same time and in the same payment as they do for VED.
For foreign vehicles, the charge will need to be paid before they use UK roads. Most foreign vehicles (90%) are expected to fall into the top bands, which will attract annual payments of between £640 and £1,000.
The bill makes it an offence to fail to pay the levy. Enforcement by Vosa will include £200 on-thespot fines and up to a £5,000 fine if it goes to court.
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) has welcomed the government’s fast-tracking of implementing the scheme for foreign hauliers almost a year ahead of schedule. “RHA members have expressed support for this scheme, so it’s great that the DfT believes it will be able to start charging foreign hauliers at the same time as UK ones,” said RHA director of policy Jack Semple. “Under the original plans, the DfT was going to start charging UK hauliers from April 2014, followed by foreign LGVs in 2015.” The Freight Transport Association is pleased that there will be no additional cost or burden for UK hauliers, but said there are several areas it “would like more detail on” . MD of policy James Hookham said: “We want to know how it will be enforced at the Northern Ireland/Ireland border, for example.” To view the DfT consultation findings, go to dft.gov.uk/consultations/dft-2012-03