Skip to main content

Truck CO2 standards ‘must be part of Government CO2 reduction policy’

In response to the UK Government’s Fifth Carbon Budget, Freight on Rail says that the Department for Transport must support EU plans to introduce CO2 truck standards to bring HGVs into line with cars and vans. In the UK, HGVs contribute 17 per cent of surface transport’s CO2 emissions even though it only makes up five per cent of road miles driven. Philippa Edmunds, Freight on Rail manager, Campaign for Better Transport said CO2 standards and reduction targets for HGVs are long overdue as truck manufac
July 4, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
In response to the UK Government’s Fifth Carbon Budget, Freight on Rail says that the 1837 Department for Transport must support EU plans to introduce CO2 truck standards to bring HGVs into line with cars and vans.  In the UK, HGVs contribute 17 per cent of surface transport’s CO2 emissions even though it only makes up five per cent of road miles driven.

Philippa Edmunds, Freight on Rail manager, Campaign for Better Transport said CO2 standards and reduction targets for HGVs are long overdue as truck manufacturers have failed to significantly improve truck efficiency of their own accord over the past 20 years.

She added that there is potential to improve HGV engine efficiency by around 30 per cent, which would be very beneficial to hauliers and freight users as well as helping the UK Government to meet its legally binding climate change targets.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Smoothing out city freight movements
    May 28, 2014
    David Crawford welcomes a national first. Urban freight movements, while commercially and socially vital, are a growing logistical headache for planners and people alike. Figures from France’s Lyon Laboratory of Transport Economics indicate that goods transport in major urban areas accounts for: 20% of traffic; 35% of CO2 emissions made by all urban trips; and 50% of the diesel used; while final km delivery runs account for 20% of the total cost of the transport chain.
  • Weigh in Motion gets smarter
    January 4, 2023
    Weigh in Motion technology is at the forefront of protecting road surfaces and helping enforcement activity – but could it also play a key role in the development of Smart Cities?
  • Investment in transport systems a powerful driver of long-term growth
    May 30, 2013
    According to a new OECD report, boosting private sector investment in sustainable transport infrastructure will be essential as governments seek to meet long-term economic and environmental objectives at a time of constrained public finances. Mobilising Private Investment in Sustainable Transport: The Case of Land-Based Passenger Transport Infrastructure points out that investment in transport systems is a powerful driver of long-term growth. It also notes, however, that the transport sector is the second l
  • For better air quality ‘cities need to turn to gas powered trucks and buses’
    May 1, 2015
    The UK’s cities are under unprecedented pressure to improve air quality, as Supreme Court justices in London order that air quality plans to comply with European Union (EU) law on limits for nitrogen dioxide (NOx) in the air must be submitted to the European Commission no later than 31 December 2015. The case was brought by ClientEarth, a group of lawyers dedicated to environmental issues, which says the ruling means the Government must start work on a comprehensive plan to meet pollution limits as soon