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The Road Haulage Association (RHA) is urging all operators that deliver in Manchester not give up the fight and continue to oppose the proposed congestion charge, scheduled to come into force in 2013.

In July, a spokesman for the Greater Manchester  Passenger Transport Executive said that if truck drivers felt they should not have to pay the charge, they needed to make their feelings known during the consultation period, which runs until 10 October.

However, last week, the Department for Transport, which is overseeing the scheme through its Transport Innovation Fund (TIF), announced that under the proposals being considered, HGVs will pay the same rate as cars. Despite the statement appearing to signal that trucks are going to have to pay the charge, Geoff Dunning, RHA northern regional director, points out this is actually a move forward.

"The original proposals included a provision that trucks would pay more than cars. I believe that it is because  of the RHA's pressure before the formal consultation that they now propose to set the charge at the same rate as cars: so we have made a little progress," says Dunning.

"Having said that, we have not yet given up on the possibility of trucks being exempt, and we are currently urging our members to oppose the imposition of this charge."

The RHA is sending out a draft letter this week for its members to send to Greater Manchester Future Transport, the organisation behind the scheme, to highlight the reasons why trucks should be exempt from the charge. 

"Trucks are being treated in exactly the same way as cars, with no recognition of the fact that they deliver the goods that the city's economy needs," says Dunning. "Also, trucks generally cannot choose a travel time, as customers dictate delivery times."

He adds: "The charge is irrelevant to trucks as the whole point of the scheme is to change people's behaviour and get them out of cars."