UK share of international traffic continues to decline

UK-registered trucks now perform just 18 per cent of driver-accompanied haulage to continental Europe, as shown by the latest statistics from the Department for Transport. 

The first quarter of 2013 saw 466,000 trucks leave the UK for mainland Europe, up from 455,000 in the same period the previous year. But the number of British trucks making the journey actually fell from 84,000 to just 82,000.

The number of unaccompanied trailers fell too, dropping from 154,000 to 153,000, meaning fewer opportunities for British providers of traction services.

Over the past 12 months ending at the close of the first quarter of 2013, of the trucks going to mainland Europe 18 per cent were British registered, followed by 16 per cent Polish, 11 per cent Dutch, seven per cent German and six per cent French. After this came Romanian Spanish, Hungarian and Belgian vehicles.  

Meanwhile, the government has announced that the fixed penalty for non-adherence to the so-called HGV Road User Levy, which is intended to make foreign-registered trucks contribute to their track costs, will increase to £300 from the announced £200, when it starts next spring.