The government has announced that it will seek agreement from the EU for drivers with category B licences to be permitted to drive alternatively-fuelled vans weighing up to 4.25 tonnes – a step that Germany and France have already taken.
This is changing the status quo – currently drivers with category B (car) licenses are only permitted to drive vans which weigh up to 3.5 tonnes.
The main reason for the change is to take account of extra weight carried by electric and hybrid vans which, while they may be of a comparable size to conventional vans, are heavier as they need to carry extra technology on-board, for instance a large battery pack.
The Freight Transport Association’s (FTA) Environment Policy Manager, Becki Kite, believes the licensing change will encourage more firms to consider the move to alternatively-fuelled vehicles:
“FTA is delighted the government has listened to the logistics industry and taken this positive step to make it easier for transport and freight companies to operate electric vehicles. This will make it cheaper and easier for firms to include alternatively-powered vehicles in their fleets. It is an excellent example of how the government can use regulatory adjustments to help our industry implement more energy-efficient working practices.”
FTA says it consulted its 17,000 members on the proposal and they were largely in favour of the change. Kite added: “The heavier weights of these vehicles mean they have often been inaccessible for van operators who do not have an operator licence or the appropriately trained drivers. For firms with the appropriate operator licence, the additional regulation still meant extra cost in implementing appropriate compliance policies and recruiting additional drivers. Now they will be able to absorb these vehicles easily into their current working practices.”
In 2017 vehicle manufacturer IVECO revealed that it had been lobbying the government for a ‘payload bonus’ for many years that would make vans powered by alternative fuels more attractive to buyers.
Martin Flach, IVECO’s Alternative Fuels Director who will speak in the Truck to the Future panel at the Microlise Transport Conference on 16 May, said: “Increasingly, customers are looking seriously at low-emission LCVs but at 3.5 tonnes vehicles are usually critical on payload and it has resulted in a much lower take-up of vehicles than we would have liked.
“It’s always seemed nonsensical that companies keen to implement innovative technology that is better for the environment, should be penalised on payload and have to pay for additional driver training. As a key alternative fuels vehicle manufacturer that truly believes in sustainable transport, IVECO has been campaigning on this issue for several years.”
Flach said that he believed the move would “quickly boost the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles and consequently improve air quality.”
