Member News – 18 March 2026

18 March 2026

Your weekly member email from Logistics UK sharing the latest updates addressing industry-relevant developments, legislation and compliance updates and campaigns to help you stay informed.

In this issue:

• Update on the conflict in the Middle East.
• £1 billion youth employment drive to create 200,000 jobs and apprenticeships.
• Proposals on changes to regulations to support the uptake of zero emission goods vehicles (ZEGVs) in Northern Ireland – consultation.
• Jet Zero Taskforce annual report on aviation decarbonisation.
• Logistics UK’s Utilities Services Working Group.
• Transport to Work Toolkit.
• Logistics UK’s Water Council.
• Including a Trailer Reference number (TRN) in GVMS.
• RTD Volunteering and declaring other work.
• Full closure of A40 Westway in London from Friday 20 March.

Middle East conflict update

Logistics UK has received a small number of queries from members about fuel supplies and contingency planning, in light of the situation in the Middle East.

Questions include whether there are contingency arrangements for particular products, such as food and pharmaceutical supplies, should the situation escalate and whether there are specific devolved nation or regional aspects.

The fuels industry says the UK situation remains stable, with suppliers working hard to deliver normal levels of supply through a mix of UK refinery production and imported fuels. The fuels industry and government remain in regular contact to monitor deliveries and stock levels in the UK as well as the situation internationally.

Logistics UK is in communication with government over its approach to fuel supply resilience in light of the situation in the Middle East. Government is reassuring industry the UK benefits from strong and diverse security of fuel supplies, that it is monitoring stocks and sales closely and that production and imports are continuing across the UK as normal. The government has also reassured that contingency planning in this area is well established. Government has a range of measures it can use in the unlikely event that normal supply chains become disrupted from any cause. Logistics UK has underlined the importance of timely and clear communication with the industry when required.

We are also reiterating our call for the Chancellor to focus on bolstering business confidence and supply chain resilience, including by reviewing her decision to begin increasing fuel duty this year, to prevent further inflationary pressure at a time when the global economy is so disrupted.

Read the latest update here.

£1 billion youth employment drive to create 200,000 jobs and apprenticeships

This week, The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Pat McFadden, announced a major youth employment drive backed by £1 billion that will help create 200,000 jobs for young people, alongside the biggest transformation of apprenticeships in a decade. This includes the introduction of a new Youth Jobs Grant, through which businesses will receive £3,000 for every young person they hire aged 18-24 who has been on Universal Credit and looking for work for six months. This is expected to support 60,000 young people over three years. This announcement also includes an expansion of the Jobs Guarantee to a wider age range, from 18-21 to 18-24, to create more than 35,000 extra subsidised jobs. Finally, there is also an Apprenticeship Incentive of £2,000 for each new employee aged 16-24 taken on by an SME.

Full details on the announcement can be found here.

Proposals on changes to regulations to support the uptake of zero emission goods vehicles (ZEGVs) in Northern Ireland – consultation

Logistics UK is responding to a consultation from the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland on the regulations surrounding 4.25t zero emission goods vehicles and is seeking member views.

Current driving licence categories in Northern Ireland mean that category B licence holders are not entitled to drive ZEGVs, due to the additional weight of battery systems which results in the Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM) exceeding 3,500kg. The increased weight of the powertrain may not necessarily bring the weight of the vehicle over the 3,500kg max, but it would severely reduce the payload of the vehicle, thereby making it commercially less favourable. Increasing the weight to 4,250kg allows for this. Drivers wishing to drive such a vehicle instead require a category C or C1 licence which increases costs for the user, including upfront licence acquisition. For such vehicles intended to be driven for commercial use, there are further additional costs resulting from the need for medical examinations and training for a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (DCPC) to be completed.

This consultation is seeking views on proposed changes to the licensing entitlement to allow category B licence holders to drive ZEGVs with a MAM up to 4,250kg. Please share your views to Maddi Solloway-Price before the 25 March.

Logistics UK responds to road decarbonisation consultations

Logistics UK submitted responses to both the HGV CO₂ Regulatory Framework consultation and the eVED consultation on the 16 and 18 March respectively, drawing on feedback gathered through member meetings and the Decarbonisation Working Group. These responses are now available on our website.

If you would like to discuss any aspect further, please contact Lamech Solomon or Stephanie Haszczyn.

Jet Zero Taskforce annual report on aviation decarbonisation

The Jet Zero Taskforce (JZT) has published its first annual report this week, which was a collaboration between the Department for Transport and the JZT Expert Group, and outlines the progress being made across the whole sector towards aviation decarbonisation.

The report highlights decarbonisation achievements across industry and government throughout 2025 and summarises the work of the Taskforce over the last year.

In addition, the independent reports of the four 2025 Task and Finish Groups have also been published, highlighting their work on Sustainable Aviation Fuels, Hydrogen, Greenhouse Gas Removals and Contrail Impact Mitigation.

All five reports can be found here.

Logistics UK’s Utilities Services Working Group

Last week, Logistics UK’s Utilities Services Working Group met in Northampton.

DVSA attended the meeting and presented on earned recognition, covering sector-specific modules that were relevant to the group and DVSA’s roadside enforcement activities, before concluding by looking at vehicle roadworthiness issues.

Speakers also talked through current projects around light trailer inspection. The Cyber Resilience Centre for the East Midlands then presented on the importance of cyber security and the dangers of cyber-crime, imparting practical advice and tips to keep operations safe from online threats. The group then received a policy update and had the opportunity to discuss any other issues that were affecting members.

The Utilities Services Working Group is open to any member of Logistics UK who operate in the utilities sector and essential services sector. If anyone is interested in participating in the group, please contact the Group Secretary Dan Crutchington.

Logistics UK’s Water Council

Water Council will meet next week on Tuesday 24 March from 2-4pm. The meeting is being held at Logistics UK’s London office but a dial in option is also available. Members will have the opportunity to feed into Logistics UK’s draft discussion paper on decarbonising multimodal logistics.

If you or a colleague would like to attend, please register using this link.

To know more about our policy work on water please contact Alexandra Herdman.

Transport to Work Toolkit

Transport Scotland has published a Transport to Work Toolkit.

The Transport to Work Toolkit is intended for employers who have recognised that transport is a barrier to their employees or those seeking employment, and are able to implement additional measures to remove this barrier. It covers options such as a staff shuttle bus, shared car use, salary sacrifice car/bike schemes and financial support for the purchase of annual bus or train passes.

Including a Trailer Reference number (TRN) in GVMS

From 26 March 2026, the inclusion of a Trailer Reference Number (TRN) on a Goods Movement Reference (GMR) will be mandatory if the movement has a trailer.

When creating a GMR, members will be asked if the vehicle has a trailer. If yes, members will be required to enter the TRN at a later point in the GMR creation process. Members will not be able to complete a GMR without the TRN.

If members have any questions, they should contact HMRC through one of these channels.

Full closure of A40 Westway in London from Friday 20 March

As previously announced in enews, members should be aware that the A40 Westway in London will be fully closed from 22:00 on Friday 20 March until late April 2026. The entire section of the A40 between the Westway Roundabout and the Marylebone Flyover will be closed in both directions, including the Flyover itself, including during the Easter weekend.

Members should plan delivery routes accordingly and expect journey times to be increased due to congestion in the surrounding roads. Full details of the closure can be found on the TfL website here.

RTD Volunteering and declaring other work

As the days get longer and the trees begin to blossom, charities across the country are stepping up their appeals for volunteer support to help raise vital funds. But before your drivers sign up to lend a hand, employers need to be aware of an important and often overlooked consideration: “what do your drivers do in their spare time?” as it may still count as working time under the Road Transport Directive.

Whether it is a second job, weekend security work at the local pub, or coaching the youth football team, some volunteering and secondary activities can legally be classed as working time, potentially impacting compliance.

The Briefing Note explains what should be recorded, with a template for the driver to complete and can be downloaded from here.

Average EU and UK forecourt prices

Please find the average EU and UK forecourt prices here.