Recently, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced his Spring Budget, with several policy areas guaranteed to impact and perhaps benefit commercial fleet businesses. This follows the Autumn Budget’s promises to update fuel duty, reform EV taxation, and review VAT on EV charge points.
While the most recent budget is less explicitly focused on the automotive and haulage industries, there are several areas in which commercial fleet managers and drivers are expected to benefit. That’s why we’re looking into what the Government’s commercial driver reform will mean for your fleet, and the coming changes you can expect.
One of the most popular pledges in the budget among commercial drivers and commuters alike was the £200 million investment in improved highway maintenance. Kwik Fit’s PIT Report found that £1.267 billion is spent repairing damage caused by potholes and general poor highway maintenance nationwide.
To meet this challenge, the Department for Transport is committed to allocating this funding to local highways authorities. This means they can maintain their respective networks to reduce the burden on vehicles.
Another way that the government’s driver reform helps commercial fleets is the continued reduction in the Fuel Duty at 5p per litre. This means fuel duty inflation increases in 2023-2024 won’t take place, and the rates for petrol and heavy and light oil will stay low.
Industry leaders predict that not only will this save commuters and everyday drivers money, but it will also allow commercial fleets to reduce their costs. This is likely to have a knock-on effect, bringing down the prices of goods and services across various aspects of the market.
According to the RAC, the Government is setting aside £8.8bn for a second round of the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements. This is designed to help develop mass transit networks and sustainable transport options across England’s city regions. This funding will streamline commercial fleets, making them more efficient, and it will also support them in becoming greener and more sustainable, too.
Over three decades of experience in the field have given us the capacity to provide market-leading fleet services to numerous sectors. Whether it’s HGVs, vans or even company car fleets, we can help you make the most out of your fleet.
With Motrak’s state-of-the-art telematics system and Fleetintelligence, our reporting and management system, you can keep tabs on your fleet and ensure they’re capitalising on the benefits and overcoming the challenges of the haulage world.
For more information, head to our commercial solutions page or, feel free to contact us directly.
