Controlling freight vehicles in London isn’t new. In 1517, the Fellowship of Carmen was established with the authority to control the carters. This meant that no ‘cart’ could ply its trade within the City unless licensed by the Corporation. By 1838 the annual fee to licence a cart was five shillings, and the penalty for operating without a licence was twelve shillings and six pence. Whilst a lot of water has passed under Tower Bridge in the past 500 years, measures to control freight activities in London remain prevalent today.

More recently, the London Lorry Control Scheme (LLCS) was introduced in 1986. Often called the Night-time Lorry Ban, it’s designed to restrict night-time and weekend HGV movements to reduce the noise impact experienced by the city’s residents. Vehicles over 18 tonnes require a permit to operate on restricted routes, or follow the Excluded Road Network (ERN) which is accessible at any time without permission.

To tackle population growth and increasing congestion in central London, 2003 saw the introduction of the UK’s first road user charging scheme, – the Congestion Charge. By 2006, traffic levels reduced by 15% and journey times increased by 30%. The 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday zone is one of the largest congestion charge zones in the world.

To help encourage the most polluting heavy diesel vehicles to become cleaner, the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) came into effect in 2008. The LEZ required HGVs over 12 tonnes to meet Euro III engine standards and in 2009 applied to all HGVs over 3.5 tonnes. For those of you with an eye on the politics this was the then Mayor, Ken Livingstone’s swansong before Boris took over the helm. It covers most of Greater London and was further tightened to Euro IV engine standards for HGVs in 2012.

To address the disproportionately high numbers of HGVs involved in fatal collisions with cyclists and pedestrians, 2015 saw the introduction of the Safer Lorry Scheme; ensuring that only lorries with basic safety equipment fitted are allowed on London’s roads. Many construction sector HGVs are nationally exempt from sideguard underrun protection and older HGVs are exempt Class V and VI close proximity mirrors. The Safer Lorry Scheme removed these loopholes.

Following the 2017 Toxicity Charge (T Charge), this year we saw the introduction of one of the most radical anti-pollution policies in the world: London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) which operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year within the same area of central London as the Congestion Charge. HGVs over 3.5 tonnes that don’t meet Euro VI engine standards must pay a £100 daily charge to drive within the zone.

So, what next? 2020 will see tighter HGV safety and environmental standards in London. On 26 October, the LEZ standard for HGVs will be strengthen and the HGV Safety Permit will be introduced. The HGV Safety Permit means that HGVs over 12 tonnes that are zero-star rated against the Direct Vision Standard (DVS) will be banned from London unless they prove a Safe System. The Safe System includes a blind spot camera monitoring system, blind spot warning signage and an audible left-turn warning, as well as the requirements of the Safer Lorry Scheme.

Due to it being ever-changing, to most this ‘list’ probably seems overwhelming. However, it goes without saying, FORS is always up-to-date with any changes and in fact anticipates what’s happening to help prepare industry. The FORS Silver Standard already fully aligns to the Safe System measures and will be a simple way to demonstrate the HGV Safety Permit Scheme conditions have been met.