Hauliers have reacted strongly to Theresa May’s pledge to help drivers of diesel cars in the wake of plans to introduce new taxes on their vehicles by calling for a scrappage scheme to assist them with the transition.
Non-Euro 6 HGVs will be hit hardest by the new measures with a fine of £100 per day. TFL estimates that around 188,000 HGVs enter London each year, and the fines hauliers will face are astronomical.
Commenting, RHA Richard Burnett said: “Air pollution levels in London have actually been consistently dropping since 1970, and hauliers have continued to do their bit to increase air quality: by 2019, 52% of HGVs entering London will be the ultra-clean Euro 6 model.
“However, the remaining 48% will not, and will face fines of £100 per day for entering the capital, equating to around two billion pounds in fines per annum.”
Under the new measures, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan revealed that while the levy for motorists in Central London would be set at around £24 per day, operators of non-Euro 6 trucks face a fine of £100 per day. Euro 6 is the latest incarnation of the EU directive to lower the level of harmful pollutants from vehicle exhausts. The regulations set different emission standards for petrol and diesel vehicles, but the new levels set for Euro 6 will make HGVs more eco-friendly than ever.
