The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has called on the Government to offer transport operators by providing significant financial support to help achieve more widespread take-up in the freight industry of green fuels and technologies.
The FTA’s comments follow the release of final figures from the Government’s Low Carbon Truck Trial which put more than 350 gas-powered freight vehicles on UK roads and supported over 15 public refuelling stations.
The trial has given industry the opportunity to test alternative fuels to diesel: however, operators believe that numbers of lorries driven by alternative fuels will decline if further financial support is not provided.
Rachael Dillon, FTA’s Climate Change Policy Manager, said: “The new Low Emission Freight and Logistics Trial announced over summer 2016 and the extension of the plug-in vehicle grant to vans over 3.5 tonnes were welcome moves to help the industry reduce its environmental impact. overall truck fleet. There is potential for significant progress to be made in increasing the numbers of gas-fuelled freight lorries. However, if the Government is serious about increasing the presence of ‘green’ vehicles on our roads, it must ensure that it continues to help provide facilities and incentives for operators to use them.”