No-deal truck tariffs will hit hauliers hard

The Road Haulage Association says any tariff on new trucks in the event of a ‘no-deal’ Brexit will have a damaging effect on the industry.  The Government has announced that it’s cutting the planned 22% tariff to 16% – not 10% as previously reported.

The RHA points out that it is effectively an increase on the price of new trucks by 16% in real terms – at a time when hauliers can ill-afford an increase in their costs.

“The original proposal of a 22% tariff on HGVs coming in from the EU was unbelievable,” RHA Chief Executive Richard Burnett said.  “A 16% tariff will still be crippling and will severely damage the lives and livelihoods of those responsible for operating the very industry that keeps the UK fit to live in.

“Government is already forcing hauliers to upgrade their vehicles halfway through their working lifecycle to meet new clean air rules.  These tariffs will see consumers facing higher prices in the shops as operators’ margins are squeezed even tighter.”