The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has joined a coalition of complainants over the way HGVs will be treated in future Clean Air Zones. Three other trade associations are putting money before public health: British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA), the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) and the Road Haulage Association (RHA).

The four associations have jointly written a letter to the transport secretary Chris Grayling. They are calling for government support in curbing CAZ powers by ensuring that businesses using HGVs ‘will not be treated unfairly’.

“We support the need to improve the quality of air in our cities, but given CAZs only bring forward the beneficial change that is coming anyway by a couple of years, we don’t want this to be at the cost of small businesses’ ability to trade,” said FTA’s head of UK policy, Christopher Snelling. “HGVs are an integral part of the economy at both national, regional and local level.

“Currently, there are no commercially or operationally viable alternatives to diesel in terms of HGV motive power. Over 90 per cent of everything the public eat, drink, wear and build with travels on an HGV at some point in the supply chain.”