MAN Truck & Bus UK chief executive Des Evans has put a fuel crisis solution to DfT minister Jim Fitzpatrick and Secretary of State for Transport Ruth Kelly. "My idea is to link fuel and emissions by using the RPC as a means of an essential user rebate to those operators that invest in Euro 4 or 5 equipment who are also compliant on their [VOSA] OCRS rating," he explains.
"Using this method, the government can reward operators that invest in the latest environmental equipment those
operators will risk losing the rebate if their compliance score is poor.
"Rates could be set at 10p/litre for 28-tonne to 44-tonne artics only. Assuming an average consumption of 60,000 litres, that's an annual rebate of £6,000. This would give relief to the most affected area of the industry. It would also appeal to the green lobby and the safety groups."
Evans estimates that just 30,000 to 40,000 tractors are Euro 4 or 5, while a similar number are Euro 2 or below.
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