NEWS\\\
The British and Irish road freight industry vowed to keep up the pressure on European legislators not
no national to impose a 4-metre height
restriction on trucks operating between the two countries, despite indications that a solution would be found for the Irish Sea trade. A group of trade associations
- Freight Transport Association, FTA
Ireland, Road Haulage
Association, British Irish Chamber of Commerce, Irish Exporters Association, Irish Road Haulage Association and the Irish Business and Employers Confederation - wrote to the European Parliament’s Transport Committee in early November asking it not to damage trade flows between the two countries by imposing the stand EU 4-metre trailer height limit. A suggested amendment
in
a report by Austrian MEP Jörg Leichtfried would prohibit all cross- border movements of vehicles over 4m high, even between countries that have higher limits or no height restrictions at all. Ireland has a national height limit of 4.65 metres and the UK imposes
height restriction,
thanks to a derogation from EU law. However,
Leichtfried is arguing
that the derogation should apply only to domestic and not cross- border operation, even where two neighbouring countries do allow higher limits. He has also used a similar
argument to suggest that trucks weighing more than 40 tonnes and longer than 18.75 metres should not be allowed, except for purely national operations. They would thus be banned from the Finland/ Sweden route, even though the longer and heavier trucks are allowed on each countries’ domestic roads. Earlier, Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas had argued that cross-border operation was legal between two countries provided both authorised the larger trucks on their own territories. Many retailers effectively treat
their stores in the Republic of Ireland as part of their national UK distribution and vehicles are oſten built to the maximum allowable height in Ireland. Moreover, said FTA EU affairs manager, Chris
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Davies Turner says it will increase its fleet of longer 15.65 m trailers following changes to the allocations of longer semi-trailers under the existing 10-year UK government trial. Joint managing director, Philip Stephenson, says he expects the forwarder to be allocated at least four more vehicles, though ideally he would like a further six more to service the overnight feeder network connecting
Cumbernauld
in Scotland’s Central Belt, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Dartford. He estimates that using ten of the longer trailers could take 170 truck trips off
Britain’s roads annually. Davies Turner’s trailers, which are both higher and longer than the EU’s maximum for cross-border transport, are used solely on inter- depot trunking operations within the UK. The Department for Transport
has decided to open up the trial of longer semi-trailers, which started last year as 1,250 of the initial 1,800 vehicle allocations remain unused.
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Yarsley, several companies have recently invested in new bespoke trailers for their Irish operations aſter Ireland imposed its 4.65m limit following the opening of the Dublin port tunnel, which is restricted to that height. The ferry industry has also invested heavily in ships capable of carrying the higher units. Chris Yarsley said that at committee discussions on 5
November,
Issue 8 2013 - Freight Business Journal
Height limit would stunt Irish Sea traffic, warn truckers Jörg Leichtfried had
said that “a solution would have to be found for the UK and Ireland.” But while this is encouraging, FTA would not be taking anything for granted and that the industry would remain vigilant. “We’re going to hold his feet to the fire on this one,” he told FBJ. Finland does not impose a
height limit either, but as most of its traffic, including that to
and from the UK, transits other countries where the 4m limit already applies, it was less likely to be affected, Yarsley pointed out.
FTA chief executive, Theo de
Pencier said that one major UK retailer, with operations in the UK and Ireland, had estimated that a four metre height restriction would result in 3,000 extra trailer movements, adding
3
740,000 additional road miles and generating an extra 1m kg of carbon dioxide per year. There was impasse at the
debate in the Committee on Transport (TRAN), on 5 November, with MEPs sharply divided on the issue. Leichtfried repeated that he “fundamentally rejects” the European Commission’s position, but larger trucks have their supporters too.
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