RHA Road Haulage Association : Messenger 11 January

Pressing for driver facilities at DCs

As part of the RHA's campaign for improved driver facilities, we are pressing for better treatment at distribution centres. Some are good, others not.

On Tuesday we had further discussions at the Department for Transport along with Truckers' Toilets UK, with which we have been working closely.

We are seeking official clarification and enforcement of legal obligations and active support from the DfT. The meeting was very positive and we will keep members updated.

Pictured: RHA deputy policy director Colin Snape (second from left) outside the DfT this week with Adrian Jones from Unite the Union, Gillian Kemp from Truckers' Toilets UK and Michelle Barkley from Chapman Taylor Architects.

Trucks far cleaner than cars

Newspaper headlines have highlighted that Euro VI trucks are far cleaner than comparable cars in real world operation. A Guardian has cars 'ten times more toxic than trucks'.

The reports on a new report from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) support a key policy message from the RHA, which we have been making to central and local government in the air quality debate. Comment: [e-mail]

The clean burn of Euro VI trucks (and buses) is due to the radically improved Euro test process for heavy diesels. Similar reform is scheduled for cars and, lastly, for vans on sale from 2019.

HGVs powered by methane

New reports from Cenex and the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership have effectively removed diesel/methane duel fuel as a serious policy option, at least for the time being, due to environmentally damaging methane slip. They have also questioned the carbon benefit of natural gas methane over Euro VI diesel.

Promoters of gas in trucks are now focused on bio-methane and dedicated gas engines, which can be shown to give a carbon saving and also give a further NOx reduction compared with the already-low level from Euro VI diesel - which Transport for London already describes as ultra-low emission.

The RHA has again told the government that the tax-payer subsidies for methane are unjustified based on what we know, have little support among operators and are discriminatory against most of the industry.

While supporting innovation, the RHA has said that the tens of millions of pounds spent on promoting methane would be better directed on other haulage projects, including measures to improve productivity and competitiveness across the industry.

The DfT is expected to produce a policy review on carbon reduction in road haulage in spring this year.

Overnight allowances update

The RHA has met the Department for Transport regarding overnight allowances. This follows the reply to a welcome letter on the subject from logistics minister John Hayes to Jane Ellison, financial secretary to the Treasury.

It is clear that members will, from April 2017, require an approval notice from HMRC to pay up to the RHA/HMRC allowance free of tax. The allowance limit is currently £26.20. Applying for an approval notice is a straightforward exercise and we hope shortly to have a standard letter available for members to use should they wish.

We are hopeful, following our meeting, that there will NOT be a requirement for random sampling of receipts to be undertaken by employers. However, we are seeking absolute confirmation of this from HMRC. This would resolve what has been a fraught issue for the industry satisfactorily. We will of course update members in due course.

London lorry ban - call for feedback

London Councils is to meet goods vehicle operators, probably in early March, to discuss revisions to the London Lorry Control Scheme (also known as the Lorry Ban). We encourage members who have an interest in any changes to the Lorry Ban, who wish to attend to make their views understood by the decision makers, to register their interest in attending with [e-mail]. The agenda, location and timing of the meeting will be notified through the RHA.

The RHA's policy position was published in December HERE.

Volumetric mixers - time for action

At a meeting with a representative of the Batched on Site Association, the RHA has again clarified its position that volumetric concrete mixers (and other HGVs exempted) should be subject to both annual roadworthiness testing and operator licensing.

In the interests of road safety the RHA has also called on the DfT to act on its concluded consultation from December 2014 to make the required changes as quickly as possible.

Toilets denied at Fleet Services

Lorry drivers are to be denied toilet facilities at Fleet Services South for about a year, even though temporary arrangements are being made for motorists.

Welcome Break says it regrets the move but that it is necessary to close the services to HGVs completely on safety grounds, during refurbishment that follows a fire at the service area.

We are asking the company to reconsider; and asking the Department for Transport whether Welcome Break is in breach of its obligations and what else might be done.

The nearest facilities for lorry drivers are now 28 miles south/west at Winchester, or 26 east at Cobham, on the M25.

Sleep apnoea reform needed

New research has shown that driving with conditions such as obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) can be more of an impairment than having too much to drink.

The RAC and RHA have jointly called for faster medical response to sleep apnoea, to encourage drivers to come forward. Drivers can wait months for treatment, during which time they should not drive, and as a result many people may not be coming forward to test for the condition.

'Drivers need to have confidence that if they come forward they will get treatment quickly, so that they can return to driving in no more than four weeks,' RHA's Colin Snape says. Read more HERE.