TPS has published its response to the Road User Levy (RUL) reforms in the context of members’ continuing support for user charging in general, and Lorry Road User Charging in particular in the annual survey. Some key points from the response are:

Revisions to the RUL should follow certain key objectives if it is to be successful. They do not seem to us to be controversial and are:
i) Creating a better balance between efficiency and competitiveness – reducing empty running and part loading, and creating a better balance between local depots and deliveries

ii) Reflecting the external costs of HGVs not represented in annual Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) or fuel duty, based on marginal external costs

3. iii)  Minimising the environmental and safety impacts not fully addressed in ii)

4. iv)  Encouraging greater efficiency in terms of fair competition between modes

5. v)  Limiting use of the largest HGVs with the greatest impacts in most urban, and some sensitive

rural, areas.

The basic elements of a scheme should therefore be:

•   Charging for the external costs of different vehicle types, according to use, through a revised

  RUL

•   Providing land for freight as well as passenger transport in places where environmental

  impact is low and multi-modal connections are available1

•   Limiting the network where the vehicles with the highest external costs are permitted.

  The full response can be found here.