Seventy non-compliant fuel tankers remain on UK roads

There are approximately 70 non-compliant fuel tankers running on UK roads, more than three years after it was discovered they were incorrectly certified, the government has confirmed.

CM revealed that hundreds of the imported GRW fuel tankers had been wrongly certified under ADR regulations and posed a risk of leakage in October 2013, although the problem had been known to the DfT for more than a year at this point, it was later revealed.

At the time of the original disclosure, the DfT confirmed there was an issue affecting 230 tanker trailers – approximately 10% of the market – but said that it was attempting to resolve the problem without disrupting the UK fuel supply.

The imported vehicles had been on the roads since 2006 and were incorrectly certified in South Africa.

GRW has since complained it was hung out to dry over the controversy (CM 2 April) and pointed the finger at a flawed inspection process, adding that the fact that it took six years for the DfT to spot the problem showed it had been “asleep at the wheel”.

Earlier this month, the DfT issued a new authorisation, enabling more than 30 out-of-service GRW tankers that were no longer carrying fuel to be allowed to be moved to a destination where they could be cleaned and de-gassed. They could then be transported as ordinary vehicles.

The majority were based in Huddersfield, as well as in Tamworth, Coryton and Ellesmere Port.

• This article first appeared in Commercial Motor 17 September. Why not subscribe today and get 12 issues for £12?