The Road Haulage Association (RHA) is calling on the UK government to avoid a knee-jerk response to clean air legal action from the European Commission.

The call follows an announcement that the European Commission is taking the government to court over its failure to meet EU standards on pollution.

A recent court ruling brought by Client Earth has already seen the government speed up clean air zone plans which could force many hauliers out of towns and cities. The RHA believes huge fines for all but Euro VI lorries is bad for business and will see more vans on urban roads, which will mean more congestion and more pollution. The Association urges the government to avoid imposing more punitive measures on the haulage sector following the court action.

RHA Chief Executive Richard Burnett said, “This sector has slashed its NOx emissions by 43%in four years and is set to have reached a 70% reduction by the end of 2021. More regulations on a sector with its house already in order wouldn’t make the air any cleaner.”

Photo: Richard Burnett