Policy Campaign Spotlight – May 2022

Zero emissions vehicles regulatory reform

In March, the government announced its continuing commitment to the Category B licence derogation for alternatively fuelled vehicles and an extension to the Plug-in Van Grant following Logistics UK’s presentation of its three-stage plan for reform of the regulatory framework in preparation for heavier, zero emission vehicles being in general circulation by 2030. Further information about this announcement from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) can be obtained by emailing Plugingrants@dft.gov.uk.

The announcement is the first step in this plan and Logistics UK continues to work with government to progress the remaining proposals:

• Reform the training process to increase throughput. The current training process uses heavy commercial vehicle instructors to deliver the training to van drivers. While this was supported at the immediate introduction, it is not producing the throughput of drivers now required for fleet operators to make the significant changes needed during this decade
• Long-term reform of the regulatory framework for zero emission vehicles. Zero emission vehicles will be heavier than the petrol and diesel vehicles which currently service our economy. 

The first win is just the beginning of the campaign and Logistics UK started discussions with members in Freight Councils in April on the next phase. There was significant interest which highlights the impact of the loss of payload from zero emission vehicles in real world operations.

As government prepares to conduct its standard five-yearly review of the legislation, it is imperative that members’ views are heard. There is an increasing tension between the derogation and achievement of increased uptake of alternatively fuelled vehicles. By 2030, ‘alternatively fuelled’ vehicles will be the norm and the freight vehicle regulatory framework will need to reflect this. The campaign focus now is on having all regulatory thresholds and vocational licensing reviewed, recognising that zero emissions vehicles are heavier.

We are expecting a consultation to be announced on reforming Category B derogation and we will gather member feedback to form our response. However, it is bigger than just the driver licencing, and we are looking to expand the scope to include drivers’ hours, tachograph and testing, to name just three areas.

Logistics UK has been engaging with the OZEV to explain why the current regulatory regime is not ready for a zero emissions fleet, and we have achieved an understanding through to the senior leaders. We are also working to gain recognition of the issues in the Department for Transport and across wider government so change can be implemented ahead of the  2030 deadline. The issues are also highlighted in our new Decarbonising Logistics report.

*www.logistics.org.uk/campaigns

Published On: 12/05/2022 16:00:00

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