LHV rejection ‘A wasted opportunity’

The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) has criticised the announcement by Ruth Kelly, Secretary of State for Transport, that Longer Heavier Vehicles (LHVs) will not be permitted on UK roads.

The Secretary of State's decision is based on a TRL report which looked into the economic, environmental and operational aspects of operating larger lorries. While acknowledging the credibility of much of the report, CILT believes an outright veto is the wrong decision. Chief Executive Steve Agg said today: “Rejecting LHVs without physical trials is a wasted opportunity. The fact that the Secretary of State has used the emotive term “super-lorry” suggests a biased approach. The sensible decision would have been to specify trials which could have provided real data and tangible experience in order to reach an objective conclusion.”

While supporting the movement of freight by all modes and recognising the environmental benefits of rail freight, CILT believes that LHVs could have a place in the transport hierarchy. Steve Agg added; “We believe it would be straightforward to identify a simple core network for trials, based around the motorway network. Even if LHVs were approved it is likely that their usage would be limited and, in certain circumstances, they could actually make sense. Therefore, to say we are disappointed with this announcement is an understatement.”