The UK government recently announced that it is postponing its proposed ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, leading to uncertainty around when diesel HGVs will actually be phased out. While the announcement didn’t directly reference the medium and heavy truck sector, freight experts say that the phase-out dates for diesel lorries could still change.

A Volvo Truck spokesman stated that the close ties between all automotive markets, be it trucks, cars, buses, or vans, means nothing can be ruled out at this point. They added that the government needed to set a long-term target and stick to it as the road transport industry continues to deliver GDP at the same time as going through a massive transformation.

“We Need Support From Government”

Continuing to speak on the subject, the Volvo spokesman said that everyone knows that alternatives to diesel must be found. He said:

“We cannot continue as we have in the past; we must decarbonise, and to do that, we need support from government. Naturally, some of the policies required to support such a target will take the form of sticks, but there should be carrots, too.

As a country, we need to be ambitious; climate change is an undeniable fact, and we have to start making changes today, not tomorrow. The UK government’s target of net zero by 2050 should be the minimum we aim for; the Volvo Group target is net zero by 2040.

The UK road transport industry needs support in the short term to help this transition, but most importantly, it needs certainty. Without certainty, no one can plan, and without a plan, no one will make the investments necessary to deliver the transformation.”

Pushing Back Deadlines ‘Unhelpful’ – Logistics UK

Also vocal on the subject was David Wells, chief executive of Logistics UK, who said that moving the deadlines back was unhelpful and would disincentivise private investment coming into UK industry. He remarked:

“There is still much to be done, from delivering a charging network to confirming plans for alternatively fuelled vehicles, but our industry remains committed to achieving net zero.

As a sector, logistics works hard to deliver on time for all sectors of the economy – if new decarbonisation deadlines are to be achieved, it is vital for the health of the UK’s supply chain, and therefore our economy, that the government does the same. At a time when industry needs detail and action, delay just creates more uncertainty.”

Certainty an Important Commodity For UK Haulage

With so much change already made in the UK haulage sector and much more to come, it’s natural for those working in the industry to want certainty. The government will indeed have its reasons for delaying the phase-out of the sale of diesel and petrol cars, and it remains to be seen whether the same will affect diesel lorries in the same way.

While we wait for those questions to be answered, the HGVC team will continue offering industry-leading HGV licence acquisition programs via our 60 UK training centres across the UK. Featuring the country’s most experienced and skilled instructors, we’re well-positioned to help businesses of all sizes overcome the challenges of driver shortages.

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