RHA responds to Conservative 'Freeing Britain to Compete' report 21 August 2007

The Road Haulage Association has responded to the Conservative Economic Competitiveness Policy Group report, 'Freeing Britain to Compete'. Chaired by former Conservative Cabinet Minister John Redwood, the group was set up by David Cameron in January 2006 to "undertake the long term thinking required to reverse the decline in Britain's competitiveness, and come forward with the policies needed for the new supply side revolution". RHA Chief Executive Roger King said: "The recognition of the need for additional road infrastructure is most welcome; but we are more cautious in our response to this renewed enthusiasm for lorry road user charging, however well-intentioned it is in seeking to achieve an urgently-needed levelling of the fuel duties paid by UK and foreign hauliers. "Spending on road improvements to reduce congestion should not be delayed to wait for a speculative lorry charging project. The Conservative proposal sounds so far like a re-run of the lorry road user charging scheme announced by Gordon Brown in his pre-Budget statement of 2001 and abandoned in 2005, apparently on the grounds of impracticality and cost. This decision came after heavy research investment, including £40million on consultancy. "We need to understand over what period the headline £10billion from foreign hauliers is to be raised, as there may be issues with EU competition rules. More broadly, we are suspicious of an apparent underlying belief that hefty new taxes on road haulage can pay for overcoming congestion; this sentiment is also evident in a recent Liberal Democrat policy statement." Britain's road hauliers provide a service that is efficient, responsive and vital to the economy. It is also a source of pride that the safety record of our UK fleet is perhaps the best in Europe. However, the huge duty difference between the UK and other EU states is a serious problem and getting worse. It gives foreign transport firms an unfair competitive advantage, is costing jobs in this country and is adversely affecting the long-term prospects of the UK road haulage sector. The need to level the playing field on fuel duty is more pressing than it was when Gordon Brown recognised the problem in 2001 and yet not only has nothing been achieved, the series of duty increases that started in November last year are driving in the opposite direction. The duty difference will be widened still further on October 1 if the Chancellor goes ahead with the planned 2 pence/litre increase, and other increases are planned for spring 2008 and 2009.

RHA refers TfL's LEZ claims to Advertising Standards Authority 21 August 2007

The Road Haulage Association is referring Transport for London to the Advertising Standards Authority over an advertisement for the London Low Emission Zone. "The advertisement is factually inaccurate and grossly misleading in what it tells lorry operators," says RHA chief executive Roger King. "We are astonished that TfL should continue to mislead companies with an advertisement, the inaccuracy of which we pointed out more than a month ago. TfL has apparently taken no notice whatever," King said. The error concerns the emissions standard that trucks above 12 tonnes must meet. TfL's advertisement quotes the "Euro III emissions standards" when in fact it is the particulate standard for Euro III. The difference is at least 30,000 trucks! Contrary to the up-beat advertising of the LEZ that has started to appear on hoardings around London, the LEZ is a costly shambles of a scheme that will deliver hardly any environmental benefit. How many Londoners know that, by TfL's own figures, it will cost ratepayers £90m to set up and run in the first four years? At the same time it will cost business hundreds of millions of pounds and put some companies out of business. The environmental gain for all this cost and disruption will be minimal. The introduction date of February 4 2008, which TfL refuses to defer, means that companies are unable to ordered and have delivered new trucks to replace those that do not currently comply. Operators will instead have to convert older vehicles with particulate traps that are likely to increase emissions of NOx - the main pollutant that low emissions zones were supposed to combat. This is not the first time TfL has misled companies over the LEZ. It sent out thousands of 16-page booklets to registered keepers of trucks, informing them of the scheme and detailing which trucks complied and which didn't. This booklet - which TfL subsequently claimed was not "definitive" omitted any mention of pre-Euro III trucks that meet the Euro III particulate standard. At least 30,000 trucks in the UK fall into this category.

Sideswiping on Motorways - look out for foreign vehicles 17 August 2007

Each year there are over 1,000 incidents of ‘sideswiping’, when left-hand drive foreign lorries, with blind spots on their right-hand passenger side, move lane on motorways and fail to see another vehicle in the lane they are entering. Car drivers in particular are urged to be alert to the possibility of foreign lorries making such manoeuvres. This warning comes from the Freight Transport Association, one of a group of leading bodies participating in National Motorway Month, an initiative jointly promoted by the RAC Foundation, Suzy Lamplugh Trust, Highways Agency, Amey, BEAR Scotland, RAC and Transport Scotland to encourage safer driving on our motorways. The campaign is running through the busy holiday month of August. FTA says that the number of foreign vehicles operating on our roads has substantially increased in recent years, and one in seven of the heaviest vehicles in the UK at any one time is now a left-hand drive foreign vehicle – around 14,000 vehicles every day. The Association has been concerned at the operating standards of many foreign lorries and UK enforcement agencies have found increasing numbers carrying roadworthiness faults, being overloaded and with drivers exceeding their allowable hours at the wheel. FTA’s Director of External Affairs, Geoff Dossetter said, ‘In general, lorries have a good safety record and are involved in far fewer accidents than cars on a mile for mile basis. However, the handling characteristics and the speeds of acceleration and braking are, of course, different from cars. ‘As such car drivers should always take care to allow plenty of space when in the vicinity of heavy lorries, and to be alert to their special needs, particularly at junctions and roundabouts. ‘On motorways there are special problems involving foreign vehicles and the driver’s visibility on his right hand side – the side where, in the UK, he will be overtaken by a car. Blind spots in this visibility often mean that when such a vehicle moves across the road from the inside lane, he fails to see another vehicle in the second, or middle, lane and the result is a sideways collision – sideswiping. ‘The message for car drivers must be to take special care when close by a foreign lorry and, after checking their own mirrors, be prepared to accelerate, decelerate or change lane quickly and safely if the need arises.’ Derek Turner, Highways Agency Director of Traffic Operations said, ‘When left-hand drive HGVs change lanes on our roads, the risk of sideswiping an overtaking vehicle is increased due to a passenger side blindspot. To try and reduce the number of these incidents on our roads, we worked with VOSA on a trial of fresnel lenses. These lenses are placed on the passenger side window of the HGV, giving the driver a greater view of overtaking vehicles. ‘During the winter of 2006/2007, 40,000 fresnel lenses were distributed to vehicles entering England across the Dover Straits. The early indicators are that these have a benefit in reducing sideswiping incidents. Results are being evaluated by the Department for Transport and will be announced later in the year. However, based on the early indicators, we are looking at distributing further lenses at other ports in England.’ Geoff Dossetter said, ‘Lorries are the safest vehicles and motorways are the safest roads. But we must all be aware of the potential dangers, particularly when different types of vehicles with different performance abilities are in close proximity to each other. Looking out for foreign number plates, whether on a car or a lorry, is good sense. And be prepared for the unexpected. Anybody who has driven abroad will appreciate the potential confusion of driving ‘on the wrong side of the road’. So it is with foreign drivers coming to the UK and we should watch out for their own confusion and steer clear.’