Road Haulage Association Outlines Blueprint for the Future
In response to the rising cost of fuel and the Chancellor’s planned increase in fuel duty, which comes into effect on the 1st April, the Road Haulage Association (RHA) has outlined a blueprint for the future of the UK haulage industry. The blueprint contains a series of provisions that serve to highlight the need for a healthy and financially viable haulage industry in the context of a struggling UK economy. Crucially, the blueprint calls for a lower fuel duty to be levied on commercial vehicles in order to bring the UK haulage industry in line with its European competitors.
Chief Executive of the Road Haulage Association, Geoff Dunning, noted: “This is a crucial time for the UK road transport operator; if we are to make a real contribution to economic recovery, we need to have a committed transport team who can support us in our contacts with the Treasury and other parts of Government”.
Mr Dunning continued: “We are not suggesting that we have all the answers to the UK transport industry crisis; however, if the new Government [after the General Election] is prepared to work with us on these issues, we are confident that together we can make a difference”.
The RHA’s blueprint contains nine key provisions, issues or suggestions, including: recognition of the essential and high quality contribution that the road freight transport industry makes to the UK economy; urgent improvements to road maintenance; increasing out-of-hours deliveries; and increasing the access for trucks to priority lanes such as those reserved for buses. By far the most important suggestion outlined in the RHA blueprint is that of reducing the fuel duty burden on the UK haulage industry; however, the document also discusses the implementation of a consultation process that would enable the RHA to identify how public money can be most effectively spent.
Aside from hoping that the most important suggestions outlined in the RHA’s blueprint will be adopted by the UK Government, haulage companies can take immediate steps to reduce their fuel burden. Installing vehicle tracking systems such as SupaTrak, for instance, can have a positive effect on fuel consumption.
A spokesperson for SupaTrak commented: “SupaTrak supports the UK haulage industry by providing advanced vehicle positioning and fuel tracking services. Installing SupaTrak can result in a significant fuel saving for the typical medium to large haulage company, whose efficiency could improve by many thousands of pounds”.
