Good news from the UK heavy goods vehicle (HGV) market: New registrations were 46.3 per cent higher year-on-year in the second quarter of 2019, with 15,605 units registered. These figures, released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) yesterday, include a number of large orders ahead of the mandatory fitment of Smart Tachographs; these further boosted registrations following a strong first quarter of the year.
Figures released by the SMMT show that the new heavy goods vehicle (HGV) market declined -3.6 per cent in the third quarter of 2016, with 11,242 units registered. The fall in demand follows five consecutive quarters of growth, and year-to-date the market remains strong, with registrations up 6.6 per cent against the same period in 2016.
Dunlop and the Road Haulage Association (RHA) are partnering to raise awareness of what they say is a looming transport crisis, which threatens to bring industries such as manufacturing, retail and logistics to a grinding halt in the UK. The HGV Heroes campaign highlights the impact that HGV driver shortage is going to have across the country.
Since 1 April 2014 the HGV levy has raised more than £44 million from foreign HGVs. Foreign truck operators from 90 countries have purchased more than 1.8 million levies, a time-based charge that ensures all HGVs over 12 tonnes contribute towards their use of UK roads.
As of today, HGVs of 12 tonnes and more will pay a charge to use UK roads. The introduction of the new HGV levy has been introduced a year ahead of schedule and is paired with a reduction in Vehicle Excise Duty. The Department for Transport says the VED reduction means that nine out of ten UK registered HGVs will pay no more under the new system than they did before 1 April 2014. Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin describes the implementation of a user-pays system that also covers foreign hauliers, who previously were not charged for road use in Britain, as a step that will “provide a massive boost for the UK haulage industry.”
Kent Police is appealing for witnesses to a knifepoint robbery of about 1,500 tyres from two HGV lorries near the Dartford River Crossing. Officers were called just before 7.15am on 8 April after Pirelli brand tyres, worth a combined total of about £100,000, were stolen from two artic lorries. Neither driver was injured in the robbery.
The HGV Road User Levy Act became law today (28 February) paving the way for a fairer deal for UK hauliers. Most EU states already charge lorries for using their roads which means that British vehicles have to pay to drive in Europe, while foreign lorries can drive in the UK without paying for the wear and tear they cause on the roads.
The Vehicle Operator and Services Agency needs to be given dedicated resources to meet the looming enforcement challenges associated with the HGV Road User Levy and the increased privatisation of the HGV annual testing network.
The Freight Transport Association has welcomed the publication of a Parliamentary Bill that will introduce a charge for foreign-registered vehicles using UK roads. Under the HGV Road User Levy Bill all heavy goods vehicles of 12 tonnes and over will be required to pay a levy before being able to travel on UK roads. For UK operators the Bill confirms that this cost will be rebated through an equivalent reduction in Vehicle Excise Duty (VED). Operators of foreign registered vehicles will be required to pay the levy at a daily, weekly, monthly or annual rate, depending upon how long they intend their vehicles to remain in the country.
While the HGV trailer containing £50,000 worth of tyres stolen in Brierley Hill last month has now been found, police are still working to ascertain the tyres’ current location. According to Dudley Police, the articulated trailer was loaded with 650 Bridgestone tyres when it was stolen from CVT Vehicle Services on the weekend of July 16 to 17. These tyres were to be delivered to various vehicle manufacturers. According to Police Constable Ian Leech, who is leading the enquiry into the theft, the stolen tyres are marked with a red and yellow dot – indicating they cannot be sold on to independent retailers.
Thieves have raided another parked HGV and stolen its load of tyres while its driver slept. This latest attack took place at the Barton Business Park, off the A38 in Staffordshire. According to local paper the Burton Mail, the driver of a lorry was woken by a ‘rocking’ sensation in the cab and saw four or five men who, having slashed the truck’s kerbside wagon, helped themselves to Pirelli motorcycle tyres. The tyres were loaded into a white mini van, which then drove off southbound along the A38.
Police in North Yorkshire are investigating the theft of a truckload of tyres in a lay-by on the A1. According to Selby Police, up to 100 Pirelli tyres – with a total value of more than £16,000 – were removed from a Slovakian registered lorry early on the morning of Tuesday June 14. Police officers conducting routine patrols of truck stops in the area at around 1.45am on Tuesday June 14 discovered the theft from the lorry, which was parked in a lay-by on the A1 southbound carriageway in Kirk Smeaton at the junction with Middlefield Lane.
Liftmaster (previously known as Ranger Products UK) recently announced that the company is expanding is Commercial Workshop Equipment department. Kevin Howard, a founder member of MAHA UK, has accepted a position with the Alton based company to promote its commercial vehicle test equipment.
According to a West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service spokesman, arson is suspected in the Sunday night fire at Envirowaste in Yapton. Two HGV trailers and almost 2,000 tyres were consumed in the fire at the tyre recycling facility on the evening of November 23.
Spokesman Gary Towson reported that the area where the fire took place “is in a secure compound and there is no obvious reason for it to catch fire.” He said fire and police investigations officers are now investigating the incident.
A Mansfield man has won a BMW motorcycle in a competition run by Stoke-on-Trent based tyre company, Michelin. Mark Wagstaff, a self-employed HGV driver, entered the competition to win the Michelin shod BMW F800S worth £5,995 at a Motor Cycle News event in Skegness and was randomly picked from around 17,000 entries. The competition also ran in a number of motorcycle magazines.
