Plan now for green tax rises, says FTA

Commercial vehicle operators need to plan their procurement strategies to account for increasing green taxes in urban areas, the Freight Transport Association has warned.

It expects cities across the UK to start levying prohibitively high charges on older HGVs and vans, for air quality reasons, between early 2019 and the end of 2020.

The government has named 32 local authorities across England that have to take further action on air quality.

Christopher Snelling, head of national and regional policy, said: “Over the next three years a series of blanket restrictions will come into force in UK cities for HGVs and vans.

“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.”