News

Urban charges and lorry bans – planning ahead


Between early 2019 and the end of 2020, cities across the UK will start levying prohibitively high charges on older HGVs and vans, for air quality reasons.   This autumn’s FTA Transport Manager conferences will be briefing on this topic.
The Freight Transport Association aims to have the latest information about what will happen where, which vehicles will be affected, and how best to plan now to ensure the business impact is minimised.
The government has named 32 local authorities across England that have to take further action on air quality, but it is a complicated picture as to which of these will result in a charging zone affecting commercial vehicles.  The session will set out FTA’s insight as to where and when charges can be expected.  It will also brief on the effects of the London Direct Vision Standard, which could see more than half the +12 tonne HGVs that currently visit London banned completely in 2020.
“Over the next three years a series of blanket restrictions will come into force in UK cities for HGVs and vans,” said FTA’s head of national & regional policy, Christopher Snelling,
“With retrofitting of existing vehicles unlikely to be an option for most operators, transport managers need to be prepared for what is ahead, so the procurement of future fleets can be planned.”
Headline sponsor, Iveco, will give a vehicle manufacturer’s perspective on the subject.  Iveco’s alternative fuel director, Martin Flach, will provide an update on alternative fuel vehicles and the demands for Euro VI trucks in order to meet the government’s proposed requirements.
Over 1200 delegates attended last year’s events; this year five new venues have been chosen to enable more delegates to be accommodated.
For a full list of dates and venues or to book a place visit http://www.ftatransportmanager.co.uk or call 03717 11 22 22.
The cost for FTA members is £295 plus VAT for the first delegate and £265 plus VAT for subsequent delegates; for non-FTA members £395 plus VAT for the first delegate and £365 plus VAT for subsequent delegates.