The Government’s focus on demanding the early retirement of Euro V lorries is misguided says the Road Haulage Association. Currently, no retro-fit is available for lorries until 2019 – if ever.

Government has failed to take account of the fact that without a scrappage or a viable retro-fit scheme, air quality cannot be improved, the RHA says

The RHA estimates that it would cost about £2.25bn to retro-fit the UK Euro V lorry fleet by the end of 2020 and has called for a phased approach in clean air zones for lorries to focus on the older, pre-Euro V vehicles.

Commenting, RHA chief executive Richard Burnett said: “By the end of 2020 approximately one quarter of the UK lorry fleet will be Euro V – that’s 126 thousand HGVs.  With only just over 50% of the fleet being Euro VI by the end of 2020, the use of Euro V and earlier vehicles will be unavoidable if we are to keep the shelves stocked and food on the table”.

Road Haulage Association

About the Author: John Loughran