News

Little surprise was drawn from the Department for Transport's (DfT) Freight Data Feasibility Report released last week. Examining four methods of collecting data on foreign operators, including the previously-favoured vignette, the report seems to pour cold water over all the options. But what is clear is that the DfT appears no closer to finding a suitable method to further target enforcement of foreign vehicles.

The FTA slammed the report as "failing to provide any meaningful response".  Chief executive Theo de Pencier says: "We seem to be taking an interminable time in coming to what would seem to be a relatively simple issue of collecting this important data."

RHA policy director Jack Semple says the association "is not greatly surprised by the findings - we didn't have particularly high hopes for the study". He adds that there is an understanding of the complexities involved in what is a "technical issue". He points out that despite the non-committal findings, a vignette still seems to be the DfT's preferred data collection method, but that it would take a long time to implement.

Both associations agree that a vignette will do little to level the playing field between UK and foreign operators. "This conclusion makes the increase in fuel duty even more exasperating for domestic transport and once again points to the need for a fundamental change in the way goods vehicles are taxed," de Pencier states.

Semple agrees that changes to fuel duty "would  do a lot more". "People think [a vignette] can do more than it can," he states.