HGV Levy has Raised Millions

The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced that  the HGV road user levy has raised more than £17 million since its introduction in April.

According to the DfT, that’s enough to fund 3,400 extra electric car grants or maintain and power 170,000 street lights for a whole year.

Hauliers driving lorries weighing 12 tonnes or more are subject to the levy, but UK operators pay as part of their vehicle excise duty to keep admin costs down. For those operating their trucks in the UK for longer periods, discounts are available, so charges vary between £1.70 per day and £10 a day or £85 to £1,000 per day.

With over 618,000 levies paid for more than 112,000 trucks originating from 76 countries, the DfT reckons that 95% of HGV operators have been paying the levy. The 850 drivers caught for failure to pay have coughed up fines amounting to £250,000.