Member News – 25 March 2026

25 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:

• Chancellor gives statement in response to Middle East conflict
• ZETVG and DCS scheme announcement
• Update on proposed EU vehicle regulation changes
• Government’s six-monthly HS2 report published
• Easter 2026 Brock deployment
• UK–EU SPS Agreement Call for Information: DEFRA wants members’ views
• Skills England’s Skills Passport survey
• Government strengthens powers over reducing late payments
• NaVCIS Freight crime intelligence bulletin

Chancellor gives statement in response to Middle East conflict

Yesterday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves gave a statement to Parliament in response to growing concerns on energy price increases caused by the Middle East conflict.

In the statement, the Chancellor said the government would be introducing a new anti-profiteering framework and that it would introduce time-limited, targeted powers if needed to ensure the Competition Markets Authority (CMA) and other regulators can tackle unfair price increases if they were to be found. This follows an announcement earlier this month that the CMA is monitoring petrol and diesel prices and will publish an update as soon as possible.

The Chancellor also set out a range of further policy actions: legislation due later this year to help ensure reforms to speed up nuclear delivery are implemented by the end of 2027; government‑backed guarantees to be reviewed to support priority infrastructure projects where planning consent is legally challenged; and targeted reductions in agri‑food tariffs to be considered to help reduce food prices.

Logistics UK remains in regular dialogue with government, highlighting the impact of increasing fuel costs on the sector and supply chains. We continue to urge 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.

On fuel resilience, government continues to reassure 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.

Read the latest update here.

ZETVG and DCS scheme announcement

The government announced today that it will be investing £1 billion to support British businesses to roll out clean trucks and vans and install new EV chargers at depots; the announcement covers Zero Emission Truck and Van Grants (ZETVG) and the Depot Charging Scheme (DCS).

The truck grant will offer savings of up to £81,000 off the heaviest zero emissions trucks, covering up to 40% of the cost. The van grant will continue to offer discounts of up to £5,000 off the cost of electric vans. Alongside this, businesses and public authorities will also be able to save up to £1 million, covering up to 70% of the cost, when installing charging infrastructure for vans, coaches, and eHGVs, with a £170 million investment into the government’s Depot Charging Scheme.

Logistics UK welcomes this package of support, as it will help enable the sector to expand and decarbonise its fleets. Government investment should provide businesses with the confidence to accelerate fleet decarbonisation while maintaining operational stability. The Depot Charging Scheme will also play a crucial role in supporting fleet operators to install affordable, reliable charging infrastructure at their depots.

Update on proposed EU vehicle regulation changes

The European Commission has put forward a proposal to update several EU rules covering vehicle approvals, safety features, emissions testing and drivers’ hours. The aim is to simplify technical requirements for manufacturers and move more standards over to internationally recognised UN Regulations. Key changes include a new category for small electric cars, adjustments for electric vans between 3.5–4.25 tonnes (such as potential exemptions from drivers’ hours, tachograph and speed limiter rules), and updates to Euro 7 emissions testing to remove duplication. Most of these changes would apply directly in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework. Logistics UK has produced a briefing note to highlight divergences between Northern Ireland and Great Britian approaches following these announcements. Please contact the Member Advice Centre who will send you a copy of the briefing note.

Government’s six-monthly HS2 report published

Government has published its March 2026 six‑monthly HS2 report, providing an interim update on the programme reset, with fuller details to follow. The statement says HS2 Ltd and DfT are reassessing remaining scope, schedule and costs and seeking to remove over‑specification and complexity to produce robust estimates.

Separately, the Transport Secretary has asked HS2 Ltd to examine options to cut costs and reduce delays, including aligning operating speeds with established high‑speed practice (around 300–320 km/h) rather than the current 360 km/h specification. Government says these options would have negligible impact on journey times and could enable earlier entry into service.

HS2 Ltd CEO Mark Wild will report back in the summer alongside a progress update. Further detail on the reset, delivery progress, and community, land and property impacts will be set out in the upcoming update.

Logistics UK will engage DfT and HS2 Ltd on freight capacity, access and planning, and will brief members following the summer report and any programme changes.

Easter 2026 Brock deployment

The Kent and Medway Resilience Forum (KMRF) Traffic Management Operations Group (TMOG) met on 19 April to discuss the Easter 2026 holiday period and associated risks to the Strategic Road Network and local authority roads. 

The question TMOG considered is whether the forecasted traffic volumes pose a risk of disruption to Kent roads.

Based on the information provided by key stakeholders, it was agreed Brock would be deployed overnight on 1 April, with removal planned for 7 April following the peak period. The Dover Traffic Management Plan will be deployed overnight Thursday 26 March.

Members who have drivers travelling through the Short Straits between the above dates are encouraged to have all required documentation ready before arriving at the port. Members should ensure drivers have enough supplies with them, such as food and drinks, as well as allowing extra time to pass through the ports.

UK–EU SPS Agreement Call for Information: DEFRA wants members’ views

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has launched a Call for Information on the UK-EU SPS Agreement. DEFRA is interested to hear from businesses of all sizes, including those that do not currently trade with the EU.

Members’ insights can ensure that the guidance and support DEFRA provide is practical, targeted and useful across the logistics sector. Feedback from members can directly shape guidance by DEFRA to help businesses prepare, adapt and benefit from the new arrangements from day one. DEFRA is particularly interested in:

• How aware businesses are of the changes required under the deal.
• What information members will need and when.
• What forms of support would be most useful.

Logistics UK intends to respond directly, however, we are also encouraging interested members to respond on behalf of their respective organisations.

This Call for Information is open until 23 April 2026. For more details, including link for completing the Call for Information, please see here.

Skills England’s skills passport survey

Skills England is seeking views on the potential development of “skills passports” as part of the government’s wider reforms to the post-16 education and skills system. Skills passports are envisaged as portable, standardised records of an individual’s verified skills, qualifications and experience, designed to help people showcase their abilities, access new opportunities, and navigate career pathways, while enabling employers to recruit more efficiently and better understand workforce skills. As part of this consultation, Skills England is keen to hear from members on how skills passports could benefit employers and individuals, both those entering the workforce and those already in employment; what information and features they should include to ensure a positive user experience; how they can be designed to work across different systems and sectors; and how important consistency across employers, regions and industries would be to ensure trust and widespread adoption. Views are also sought on how skills passports could reflect both local and national skills needs, and what lessons can be learned from existing skills passport models or similar approaches currently in use. Members can provide their views directly to Skills England using this link before 17 April, and are encouraged to input into Logistics UK’s response by contacting Bethany Windsor, Head of Skills Policy.

Government strengthens powers over reducing late payments

Government has announced that the Small Business Commissioner will be given new powers to investigate poor payment practices, adjudicate payment disputes, and fine the worst offenders. These measures will build upon and strengthen legislation on late payments. The changes will include: 

• A new 60-day cap on payment terms on all large firms when paying smaller suppliers.
• New mandatory interest on late payments will also be introduced, with a requirement for all commercial contracts to include statutory interest set at 8% above the Bank of England base rate. For example, if a small business is owed £10,000 by one of its customers and is paid 60 days later than the agreed payment date, they will be owed £10,293.15 including mandatory interest (£10,000 plus £193.15 interest plus £100 compensation).
• Government also proposes to ban the withholding of retention payments under the terms of construction contracts and is consulting on its implementation. This aims to prevent small firms losing retentions to insolvency or non-payment.
• Introduce time limits for raising disputes on invoices.
• Require the boards or audit committees of any persistently late-paying large company to publish commentary on why payment performance is poor and what actions they are taking to fix this.

More information is available on gov.uk here.

NaVCIS Freight crime intelligence bulletin

The latest NaVCIS Freight Crime Fortnightly Intelligence Bulletin has been published. Please share the bulletin with anyone who would find the information beneficial.

NPCC Business and Industry Supply Chain Survey

NaVCIS has also drawn our attention to the following survey.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Lead for Supply Chain Crime, DCC Jayne Meir is seeking business and haulage sector support in completing a short survey to help build a clearer national picture of the threats impacting the UK supply chain – details can be found on slide 25 of the bulletin.

The QR link to the survey for business and industry and haulage companies is also here:

Average EU and UK forecourt prices

Please find the average EU and UK forecourt prices here.