Nuneaton MP Marcus Jones today welcomed the HGV Road User Levy Bill which will impose a charging system for foreign trucks using UK roads.

Under the current system, foreign hauliers pay no UK Vehicle Excise Duty and quite often fill up with cheaper diesel on the continent before coming to the UK, mean thousands of foreign trucks benefit from using the UK’s roads free of charge.

To compound the challenges that UK hauliers currently face when UK trucks go onto the continent, they are often charged road tolls to pay for the maintenance and upkeep of roads on the continent.

The local MP, who has been nominated to serve on the HGV Road User Levy Bill Committee, which will scrutinise the finer detail of the Bill in Parliament, said: “I am delighted to be involved in a Bill which will bring fairness to the disparity that our haulage firm’s face compared to their European counterparts.

“The logistics industry is of great importance to Nuneaton and we have some excellent small, medium and large companies in our area, employing thousands of people. Anything that the Government can do to put our companies on a more level playing field has got to be a good thing.

 "This also means fairness for the wider road user, trucks cause great wear on our roads and all of us pay road tax, including UK hauliers, so why shouldn’t those coming from the continent in large vehicles contribute to the cost of maintaining our roads?”