Policy wins – August 2025

The Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) published an updated version of the Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness, which reflects the latest standards, best practices, and regulatory requirements to support operators in ensuring the safety and compliance of their fleet.

The revised guide includes:

-Enhanced guidance on assessing brake performance.

-Updated checklists and templates.

-Clarifications on responsibilities for transport managers and operators.

-Integration of recent legislative changes and technological advancements.

Logistics UK was closely involved in shaping and influencing the GB Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness and this work has been reflected in the Northern Ireland version

Government publishes response to its statutory review on the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation 

First introduced in 2008, the RTFO (Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation) is the government's main lever to encourage the use of low carbon fuel in surface transport, working by placing an annual obligation on fuel suppliers which requires a certain percentage of their fuel to be sustainable low carbon fuel (LCF) rather than fossil fuel. 

LCFs (such as HVO, biomethane and biodiesel) offer well-to-wheel GHG emission savings from 76 to 125% and represent a prime opportunity to reduce emissions and help the UK meet its carbon budgets. 

Logistics UK supports the RTFO to help incentivise the uptake of LCFs in the transition to decarbonise, alongside the shift to zero tailpipe emission technologies. With obligation targets currently set to increase until 2032 and then remain at that level into the future, industry has been calling for the trajectory to be more ambitious and to continue rising beyond this point to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It therefore welcomes the Department for Transport commitment to a consultation on the broader RTFO scheme containing proposals for the future target trajectory. 

The logistics sector is committed to decarbonising, and it is widely accepted that battery electric is the primary route to decarbonise HGVs, however, many barriers remain in place around commercial viability, charging infrastructure and operational use cases. 

In this context, Logistics UK has been working to achieve greater recognition of the complimentary role that LCFs can play alongside the transition to zero emission tailpipe technologies, particularly for the heaviest vehicles and specialist use cases, to ensure the sector can take advantage of immediate savings today whilst the zero emission tailpipe technology market develops, and will continue to engage on this critical topic.