FTA sets out haulage demands
Date: 23 October 2007
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The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has set out a list of demands that it hopes the government will implement regarding the freight haulage industry, as part of its response to the Eddington Report.
These include increased hard shoulder running to ease congestion; the removal of night delivery bans where appropriate to allow for out-of-hour deliveries; a registration and charge scheme for foreign lorries on UK roads; the outsourcing of some Vehicle and Operator Services Agency VOSA) services to the private sector; and a change in the way fuel duty is applied to commercial vehicles such as courier vans and HGVs.
As well as this, the FTA is demanding gauge enhancement on key rail freight routes service ports; the ability for freight haulage vehicles to use bus lanes; the re-establishment of a satisfactory network of truck stops; a fast-tracking process for UK container shipments through US security screening; and road trials for longer and heavier lorries.
The group points out that these measures would be relatively inexpensive to introduce and would have wide-ranging benefits for the logistics industry.
James Hookham, the FTA's policy director, said: "Freight transport is of vital importance to all of us and the government needs to provide an operating environment which reduces inefficiency and promotes confidence in the future."
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