As long-established supporters of open debate through the Motor Transport Clean Air conferences, we at Dawsongroup truck and trailer continue to follow discussion and progress in this area with a keen interest.
The APPG report highlighted several problems with the current situation:
- An inconsistent approach geographically – with the implementation of Clean Air Zones differing between local authorities and some having already abandoned the idea.
- Poor levels of support and guidance from central government.
- Challenges for companies in upgrading to compliant vehicles.
The supply of new Euro-6 vehicles has been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The APPG said that supply had been moving “from weak to non-existent” with operators “unable to upgrade to compliant vehicles, even if they could afford this substantial cost”.
This is the very point we have been making since CAZs were first mooted. It’s an area fraught with ambiguity, significant cost implications and operational uncertainty.
However, change is coming, and our advice to operators is to embrace it, prepare for the future and give your business the best chance of success – ideally by managing your fleet through a less risky usership model whereby risk is passed to your supplier.
Our modern fleet of emissions-compliant vehicles, coupled with economical and flexible rental, leasing and contract hire options, does exactly that.
Our services enable hard-pressed operators to minimise risk while removing the practical challenges of securing access to areas where emissions legislation has already been implemented, and also to those that might become CAZs in the future.
John Fletcher, Managing Director