The Government is intending to introduce ‘road user charging’ in the UK in order to create a more level playing field in the haulage industry.
At present, UK hauliers must pay to drive in other European countries, but the more than 1.5 million trips
to the UK by foreign lorries are charge-free.
The intention is to levy a charge of about £10 per day for use of roads in the UK by foreign lorries weighing 12 tonnes or more. Although the charge will, by law, also have to apply to UK lorries, the intention is that the Government will compensate UK hauliers, presumably in the form of reductions in the annual vehicle excise duty.
A consultation process has now been put in place and the new scheme is expected to be in place by 2015.