LESS GROWTH AND MORE LAW

What does 2023 have in store? Let’s take a look…

JANUARY

ADR regulations regarding the carriage of dangerous goods change. Operators can continue to run under the old rules until 1 July 2023.

Financial standing rules will remain unchanged. Standard goods O licence holders must have resources of at least £1,600 for one light vehicle of between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes, or £8,000 for a heavy vehicle of over 3.5 tonnes. A further £800 is required for each light vehicle and £4,500 for each heavy vehicle. Holders of restricted licences need £3,100 for the first heavy vehicle and £1,700 for each additional heavy vehicle.

MARCH

HMRC will close its Customs Handling Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) IT platform for export declarations. It will be replaced by the Customs Declaration Service, which is already up and running.

MAY

An existing concession that allows car licence (Category B) holders to drive alternative fuel vehicles of up to 4.25 tonnes is due for its five-year review. The Office for Zero-Emissions Vehicles has confirmed that there are no plans to end the concession but optimisation of the rules is being considered ‘to support the emerging zero-emissions van market’.

JUNE

Enforcement of the Glasgow Low Emissions Zone starts. Unlike Clean Emissions Zones in England, LEZs in Scotland are compete bans and penalty charge notices will be sent to operators whose vehicles enter the zones. Penalty charges start at £60 and will rise to as much as £900 for trucks that are judged as repeat offenders.

JULY

The Vehicle Certification Agency will implement the Full GB Vehicle Type

Approval Scheme for cars, buses and coaches (Category M) and goods vehicles (Category N). Trailers (Category O) will follow 12 months later. It applies to new Type Approvals and expired provisional or existing Type Approvals.

The HGV Road User Levy, which was suspended during the Covid crisis, will be reintroduced. It applies to goods vehicles of 12 tonnes or more using UK roads, irrespective of country of registration. The charge is based upon weight, axle configuration, emissions standards and duration. UK-registered vehicles pay the levy in the same transaction as Vehicle Excise Duty.

AUGUST

Smart Tachograph 2.0 instruments will become compulsory in all new ‘in scope’ vehicles. Features include automatic recordings of border crossings, recording of loading and unloading locations, recording whether the vehicle is used for the carriage of goods or passengers and independent internal ‘motion detectors’ to detect conflict with other motion indicators.

London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone will expand to cover the entire area of the current Low Emissions Zone.

SEPTEMBER

A 20mph speed limit will be introduced on all restricted (30 mph limit) roads in Wales to ‘reduce collisions, encourage walking and cycling, improve the population’s health and well-being and safeguard the environment’. A contravention will attract the usual three penalty points and £100 fine. ■

Below: Smart Tachograph 2.0 instruments will become compulsory in all new ‘in scope’ vehicles