UK clamps down on haulage permits
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FINES of up to £200 can be incurred by hauliers for not carrying international road haulage permits on the United Kingdom leg of a journey to places in Austria, France, Germany or Italy, when draft regulations circulated for comment last week, become law.
The DoE says that the abuse of permits is largely confined to journeys to or through these countries.
The regulations, proposed under the International Road Haulage Permits Act 1975 which became law on Septem1 (CM August 29), also require vehicles bound for destinations which involve passage through the countries stated to carry permits in the UK.
Exempted from the requirements are vehicles carrying certain goods to or through particular countries; vehicles having a permissible laden weight not exceeding 6 tonnes or a permissible payload not exceeding 3.5 tonnes; vehicles carrying abnormal indivisible loads, relief vehicles; unladen vehicles and certain trailers.
If the vehicle is on a journey outside the UK which does not extend more than 25km (about 15 miles) beyond any frontier or where the distance covered does not exceed 50km (31 miles) then permits need not be carried. Neither are they required when the vehicle is used for any trade or business (own-account operation) when it carries a document certifying that the vehicle is being so operated.