Car Leasing News

The Road Haulage Association has welcomed the Campaign for Better Transport report, which once again highlights the issue of road tolls and whether they are a guaranteed revenue earner. RHA Head of Communications, Kate Gibbs, said,” In 2009, road users contributed nearly £50 billion to Treasury coffers. £32 billion of that came from fuel duty and VAT on fuel”.

The RHA feels that implementing tolling on strategic routes would be welcomed however as reductions in congestion should follow. They also feel that foreign operators would also have to pay for the privilege of using the UK road network, which would create a more level playing field in terms of transport costs. However the RHA is also calling for reduction in fuel duty for essential users of fuel, as tolling would only be a short term solution to a long-term problem.

Ms Gibbs went onto say, “If hauliers are expected to pay the ever escalating levels of fuel duty as well as road tolls, congestion will indeed decrease as more and more transport operations are forced off the toll roads on to other untolled, and in some cases, minor roads. The knock-on effect of increased journey times and disruption to delivery schedules will place the providers of transport and businesses, which rely on an efficient transport system, in an untenable situation”.

The Road Haulage Association has welcomed a report conducted by the Post Office on the price of diesel in the UK, compared to the price across Europe. The average pump price for diesel stands as at £1.20 per litre, yet the pre-tax price is only 45 pence per litre.

RHA spokesperson Kate Gibbs commented,”This is an issue that we have been pushing to the top of the political agenda for a long time. Although the report focuses on the cost to the holidaymaker, they at least have the advantage of choosing a destination where the price of fuel may well be less than that paid here at home. As the report says, compared to the UK, they will be quids in wherever they drive in Europe”.

Ms Gibbs went onto say,”UK hauliers are providing an essential service yet they are seemingly being penalised. And to add insult to this particular injury, we are seeing more foreign hauliers on UK roads, their trucks filled with tanks of diesel fuel bought on the continent for a price that is considerably lower than their UK counterparts”.

Filling up with fuel in the UK can be a hit and miss experience when looking for the best fuel prices so it is always worth having at look at petrolprices.com which shows the best diesel fuel prices in your area.

The Road Haulage Association has welcomed the report from the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) which makes the point that foreign lorries are much more likely to be the cause of accidents  involving heavy goods vehicles than UK operators. The Association was encouraged by the report’s acknowledgment that “they contribute little in the way of revenue and pose a particular challenge in terms of enforcing regulation”.

RHA Chief Executive said,”We have been campaigning for stronger enforcement for many years. Until May 2009 foreign operators had a free ride; no penalties were imposed, in practise, unless someone was actually killed. Today’s report highlights that while we have gone some way to closing the enforcement gap,there is still work to be done”.