Over £17m raised in HGV levy

The HGV Road User Levy was introduced in April and all hauliers driving trucks of 12 tonnes or more must pay the levy before using UK roads (but UK hauliers do so when buying their vehicle excise duty).

The government has announced that over £17million has been raised from foreign-registered HGVs and roadside checks have seen DVSA enforcement officers issue over 850 fixed penalty notices to drivers who have not paid – resulting in fines worth more than £250,000.

Transport Minister Robert Goodwill said: “I welcome these figures which show that the levy brought in by this Government is really working. We anticipated the levy would generate around £20m a year – to take £17m in just four months is impressive and shows that compliance has remained high since introduction.

“Before the levy was introduced we had a ridiculous situation where foreign HGV drivers could fill up their tanks on the continent, pick up business in the UK and return to the mainland without even buying fuel here – without giving a penny to help maintain our roads. Meanwhile British hauliers were effectively operating at a disadvantage. I’m glad to see this levy has addressed that imbalance.”

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