Logistics UK has called for more progress from government on road transport decarbonisation in the wake of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s warning that there is a “rapidly closing window” to take action on global warming.

Michelle Gardner, deputy director of policy at Logistics UK, said: “The logistics industry is keen to play its part in ensuring it reaches net-zero targets, with decarbonisation a high priority for members across the sector. For many years the logistics industry has been working together to review possibilities for modal shift and to participate in trials, share new ideas and adopt greener technologies. However, further support is required from government, if industry is to meet these ambitious goals.

“Figures released by the Department for Transport (DfT) showed that as of October 2022, the total number of public electric vehicle chargepoints across the UK was 34,637. This falls woefully short of the 300,000 target the DfT has set for 2030, and it is vital that the pace of public charging installation increases to ensure targets are met in time for the phase-out dates of diesel and petrol vans and cars.

“It is also crucial that commercial vehicles – which typically require larger bays, longer reaching cables and a rapid-charging ability – are considered throughout installation to ensure that the logistics industry can continue to efficiently deliver to every sector of the UK economy.”

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The Road Haulage Association (RHA) and Logistics UK have both welcomed the deal reached between the UK government and the European Union last week on the Northern Ireland Protocol, as industry representatives and politicians alike get to grips with the detail of the agreement.

The so-called Windsor Framework that has been agreed by the UK and EU negotiation teams aims to resolve the current myriad problems for the logistics sector surrounding the transport of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, caused by the UK’s exit from the European Union.

The new agreement is said to reduce the proportion of EU rules applied in Northern Ireland to less than three per cent.

Under the agreement, goods from Great Britain destined for Northern Ireland will travel through a new ‘green lane’, while a separate ‘red lane’ will be for goods subsequently destined for the EU.

It is expected that there will be significant reductions in checks and paperwork for green lane traffic, though these would not be eliminated altogether, the RHA said, particularly where smuggling is suspected. Red lane goods travelling to the EU, including Ireland, would still be subject to the usual checks. Read more from Transportoperator.co.uk >

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