First Week of Road User Levy Results in 150 Fines

Lorry driving suddenly got very expensive for some trucks venturing on UK roads during the first week of April. As you know, the new road user levy came into force from April 1. Both foreign and domestic commercial vehicles are now subject to annual or per-day fees, with monies raised being used to maintain the road system.

Through to April 8, some 67 vehicles were ticketed for not having paid the levy. When combined with the tickets issued to operators and owners of the vehicles, 150 tickets worth £20,000 were issued. If anyone thought the DfT might not enforce the levy during the first few weeks of its existence, there’s no longer any doubt about the matter.

Owner-operators and companies with HGV fleets can pay the levy online or by visiting a kiosk at a petrol station. The government suggests the online method because not a lot of kiosks have been installed yet. Enforcement is being handled through a variety of means, including CCTV cameras and direct stops. Those found in violation will be required to pay the levy immediately or face impounding of the vehicle until it is paid.

The good news is that nearly 72,000 vehicles have been registered as having paid the levy in that first week. Since the law took effect, approximately 56,000 trucks from 50 different countries had also been registered. That’s a lot of money instantly flowing into government coffers.

Training to Drive

We recognise that the road user levy is here to stay. Since there is nothing we can do about it, we will continue focusing our attention on providing effective and high quality training for commercial drivers. If you are interested in lorry driving as a career, we can help you get started by teaching you everything you need to know.

Our lorry-training programme begins with preparing you to take the HGV theory test. This test is a 100-question test designed to gauge your knowledge of highway safety and hazard avoidance. You will need to pass this test in order to move on to practical skills training. You will also need to apply for a provisional entitlement, but we will help you with that as part of our training package.

The HGV Training Centre provides commercial training for nearly all classes of vehicles at more than 45 facilities around the UK. Our commitment to each and every student is to do whatever is necessary to ensure that individual learns the knowledge and skills he or she needs to pass both the theory and practical skills test. We will even go so far as to send one of our trainers with you to the practical skills testing site. We have found this to be a good way to ease the student’s mind while also giving him or her the opportunity to ask any last-minute questions.

Do not hesitate to contact us if you want to learn more about lorry driving. We can get you started as soon as you’re ready.

Sources:

1. Commercial Motor – http://www.commercialmotor.com/latest-news/nearly-150-fines-issued-in-first-week-of-hgv-road-user-levy