One-third of commercial vehicles aren’t Clean Air Zone compliant
Recent research has found that one-third of commercial vehicles on UK roads don’t meet the emissions standards required to enter Clean Air Zones (CAZs).
Fleet owners that are operating with older vehicles run the risk of non-compliance with the clean air zones, which could result in fines of up to £1,000.
What Are Clean Air Zones?
Local councils around the UK are introducing CAZs, with London, Birmingham and Bath already operating their respective zones.
Other cities such as Bristol, Leicester, Bradford, Sheffield, Newcastle, and Manchester are also creating clean air zones.
Although Manchester’s CAZ has been put on hold to give drivers and fleets in the city more time to become compliant with new lower emissions vehicles.
Each clean air zone involves thousands of signs and hundreds of ANPR cameras being installed to monitor drivers and automatically issue fines and charges where relevant.
Every city has different parameters for the clean air zones, but research has found that one-third of commercial vehicles are currently NOT compliant with the base level of requirements to drive in CAZs.
The Specifications of Clean Air Zones
London’s CAZ was the first to open in the UK, and the city has since updated the system to the Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ).
A daily charge now runs 24 hours a day, from midnight to midnight. So, if a vehicle enters the zone at 10pm and exits it at 2am, two daily charges are incurred.
Vehicles that don’t meet the ULEZ emissions standards are charged £12.50 per day, which can be paid in advance or on the day of travel.
The daily charge for non-Euro 6-compliant trucks is £100, with penalty charges beginning at £500. That’s in addition to any Congestion Charge or Low Emission Zone (LEZ) charges that may apply.
The reality is that commercial vehicles that are more than 5 years old are unlikely to meet the required emissions standards for London’s ULEZ, while they’ll struggle to meet CAZ standards.
Councils have been instructed to achieve the NO2 targets by 2024 by charging non-compliant commercial and passenger vehicles that drive within the zones.
Each zone operates slightly differently, with Manchester’s CAZ making private cars exempt, which is in contrast to Birmingham’s, which is charging older private cars that aren’t compliant.
However, Great Manchester has now delayed the introduction of the CAZ due to issues accessing compliant vehicles as a result of the global semiconductor crisis.
Birmingham’s CAZ has a daily charge of £50 for non-compliant vehicles, while Bristol and London’s zones have a £100 charge. Non-payment of the fines can result in a maximum penalty of £1,000.
Fleet owners are now being urged to check the emissions standards of their vehicles and whether they meet the required standard to avoid being caught out by fines.
Are you prepared for the introduction of Clean Air Zones? Do you know if any vehicles in your fleet will be liable for charges? Are you having trouble accessing new, low or zero-emissions vehicles? Let us know in the comments below.
