Skip to main content

Foreign hauliers to pay HGV levy to use UK roads

Foreign hauliers will be charged to use UK roads for the first time from today, 1 April 2014 transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin has announced. UK truck drivers working in Europe currently pay tolls and levies when delivering goods abroad, but foreign trucks operating in the UK have not been required to make a similar payment. The HGV road user levy, which is being brought in nearly a year ahead of schedule, introduces a charge that ensures British hauliers are better able to compete with their for
April 1, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
Foreign hauliers will be charged to use UK roads for the first time from today, 1 April 2014 transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin has announced.

UK truck drivers working in Europe currently pay tolls and levies when delivering goods abroad, but foreign trucks operating in the UK have not been required to make a similar payment.

The HGV road user levy, which is being brought in nearly a year ahead of schedule, introduces a charge that ensures British hauliers are better able to compete with their foreign counterparts.  The levy has long been called for by the UK haulage industry and creates a fairer system by removing some of the inequality UK hauliers feel when paying to use many roads abroad.

Patrick McLoughlin said: “The HGV levy will provide a massive boost for the UK haulage industry. It will create a level playing field across Europe, giving UK firms a much better opportunity to win business.”

Related Content

  • Incoming chair of ITS America looks at the road ahead for ITS
    June 3, 2015
    Jill Ingrassia, incoming chair of ITS America, on the exciting and challenging road ahead. Question: You have been a member of the Board of ITS America since 2008. What, for you, have been the top few standout achievements in that time? Answer: Hosting the 2014 ITS World Congress in Detroit is a clear standout. The meeting was a great convergence of the right people, in the right place, at the right time. The newsworthy events at the World Congress created energy and excitement about ITS America and the fut
  • New solutions for catching texting drivers
    October 28, 2016
    Many countries have laws prohibiting texting while driving but enforcement is proving difficult – David Crawford looks at some new approaches being tried by authorities. Finding definitive solutions – technological, regulatory and educational - to the potentially lethal practice of people driving while using mobile phones is proving elusive, while the stakes grow higher.
  • Data exploits parking potential
    March 11, 2015
    David Crawford parallel parks with innovations in two continents. Surveys of US cities indicate that drivers searching for parking can account for up to 37% of all urban traffic congestion. A 2011 study by IBM of 20 cities around the world found that nearly six out of ten drivers had abandoned their search for a parking space at least once; while motorists generally spent on average 20 minutes looking for a sought-after spot.
  • Moscow summit urges transit change
    June 11, 2019
    Moscow summit urges transit change