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Sir Rod Eddington's report on future transport policy, commissioned by the Treasury and echoing most of the key policy sentiments of that department, has brought a mixed response from the transport industry.

The key point in the report - and the one picked up by newspapers and television - was his endorsement of road pricing. It is a "no-brainer", he said, so he didn't go into much detail as to why it would be needed, how effective it would be, or who would be affected. The Treasury is  committed to national road pricing, which it hoped to bring in from around 2015.

"Why wait until after 2014?" asked TDG group director of strategy and marketing David Hindson. "Traffic congestion needs to be tackled urgently."

Hindson also demands action on the duty difference between the UK and the Continent: "It is about time a level playing field was created on which UK hauliers can compete with overseas companies, who pay no road tax or indeed any charge for travelling on our motorways."

This may surprise ministers, who prefer to believe that, despite lobbying by the FTA and RHA, major operators are unconcerned by the difference in duty levels between the UK and the rest of Europe (see back page).

The RHA "urged caution" on road pricing. "Such a solution cannot by itself provide answers to growing road congestion. It is hard to see how road pricing could reduce congestion levels to those of 2006 without resorting to penal rates."

Eddington's report  "gambles on the proposal that drivers will alter their travel patterns by responding to the high charges. All we know is that peak time travel on the railway system continues to rise despite ever-increasing ticket prices".

RHA chief Roger King also warns of a proliferation of charging regimes across the country.

FTA deputy chief executive James Hookham says Eddington recognises the importance of the UK's international gateways - and called for action from the government.

The Eddington study overshadowed publication of the FTA's detailed report on the future of freight, closely-argued and with specific calls for action.

• The New Labour think tank, the IPPR, this week produced a document called "Steering Through Change: Winning the debate on road pricing".