About 7,000 double-decker trailers in the UK will have to be phased out if Europe-wide proposals for a 4m-height limit is introduced, warns a leading business group.
Richard Hyslop, EU international affairs policy adviser to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), is fighting for a UK exemption from the plans - which are being considered by the European Commission (EC). "The EC must exempt the UK from this proposal. Few, if any, countries have road infrastructures that can accommodate these vehicles but the UK can."
The FSB estimates that if the EU scheme is imposed in the UK, it could lead to a large increase in carbon emissions. Hyslop says trucks with a height of 4.9m are "almost unique" to the UK.
"Companies transporting lower-density products can almost double the amount of freight they carry in a single vehicle while staying within the legal weight limit," he says.
"This load consolidation dramatically cuts lorry miles, fuel consumption and exhaust emissions per tonne of product delivered. The double-deck lorry has been a great logistical success for this country."
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