Foreign lorry drivers to be charged to use British roads

The move is intended to level the playing field between British lorry drivers, who already face charges when they drive abroad, and their continental counterparts.

The Department for Transport will today announce a consultation on the plans. Hauliers believe this could see the use of “spy in the sky” technology and require all lorries to carry a box which could be tracked by satellite.
 

UK hauliers will also have to pay the charge, but they will be reimbursed. This could be done by cutting the cost of their tax disc or lower the fuel duty that they pay.

The EU allows countries to charge lorries a maximum of 16 euros a day and the Government is ready to level the fees at this figure.

Although the move is confined to heavy good vehicles, supporters of road pricing for motorists, such as the influential Social Market Foundation, will see the scheme as a dry run for a more ambitious programme.

Road pricing for motorists and lorry drivers was mooted and then dropped by the previous Government.
The Coalition has made clear that it will not introduce pay as you go charges for motorists but it has been under pressure from the haulage industry to introduce a scheme which would make foreign lorry drivers contribute towards the war and tear they cause to Britain’s roads.

“Each year there are around 1.5 million trips to the UK by foreign registered lorries – but none of them pay to use our roads, leaving UK businesses and taxpayers to foot the bill,” said Mike Penning, the roads minister
“A lorry road user charge would ensure that all hauliers who use our roads are contributing to their cost, regardless of where they are from – helping UK hauliers to get a fairer deal and increasing employment and promoting growth in the UK.”

The industry believes the scheme could be introduced in a number of ways. One option would be to use “spy in the sky” technology and require all lorries to carry a box which could be tracked by satellite.

Another would entail using a vignette system, fixing a sticker to the windscreen which could be either “read” by scanners placed on overhead gantries or would be linked to an account linked to each vehicle.

If the Government adopts the Swiss system, foreign lorry drivers would be issued with windscreen sticker which they would hand in on leaving Britain, when a charge would be calculated.

“The devil is in the detail,” said a spokesman for the Road Haulage Association, who otherwise welcomed the proposals.

“It goes some way towards levelling the playing field with the rest of Europe,” a spokesman said.
“Foreign lorry drivers have been coming over here for years and using our roads without paying for the privilege.”

The plans were also welcomed by a Freight Transport Association spokesman.

“Ensuring that foreign lorries pay for using UK roads is part and parcel of levelling the playing field across Europe and we welcome attempts to do this.

“But making the system cost neutral for UK hauliers – who already pay far more for their diesel than their foreign counterparts – via some kind rebate is an absolute must. Road user charging can help the government bolster its coffers without harming the economy, but such a scheme must not impose additional costs or bureaucracy on UK business.”

source: telegraph.co.uk