After a successful consultation, the government intends to progress its proposal to allow road fuel tankers to carry more fuel during supply shortages.
The original proposal came about following the chronic disruption to fuel supplies in autumn 2021. Panic buying and queues of traffic at forecourts followed reports that a number of sites across the country ran out of fuel due to a shortage of tanker drivers.
Competition laws were suspended to enable fuel suppliers to work together as a full-blown fuels crisis erupted with claims that up to 90% of forecourts ran dry following two days of appalling panic buying.
Military personnel were trained at haulier sites, and began delivering fuel to forecourts, as parts of the country, particularly the south east, continued to suffer chronic shortages.
The PRA called for an independent inquiry into the inept handling of the fuel crisis as 12% of filling stations in London and the South East were revealed to be still dry, and 17 per cent had just one grade of fuel, weeks later.
The Department for Transport (DfT) and the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) subsequently set out a proposal to allow road fuel tankers to temporarily operate at weights higher than usually permitted to enable more fuel to be transported.
The proposal would only permit fuel tankers to operate at increased weights of up to 48 or 50 tonnes (not exceeding maximum permitted GB axle weights or the design train weight of the vehicle) during periods of potential or acute fuel supply disruption, with certain route approval and vehicle equipment conditions applying.
The exemption would be temporary, lasting no longer than four to five weeks at a time. The government has stressed that there are currently no plans to make the maximum permissible weight limit a permanent change.
Implementing the proposal requires changes to legislation. The government said it will seek to make the necessary changes when Parliamentary time allows.
