PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Motor Vehicles: Construction (25 May 2021)

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will reverse his decision to reduce the weight of construction vehicles from 38.4 and 44 tonnes to 32 tonnes; and what environmental assessments his Department has undertaken prior to making that decision.

Asked by:
Charlotte Nichols (Labour)

There has been no recent change to the weight limits applicable to construction vehicles. The general maximum laden weight for the heaviest (four axle) rigid construction vehicles has never been higher than 32 tonnes. Following consultation, a derogation was introduced in 2018 permitting a limited and specific number of volumetric concrete mixers (also known as mobile concrete batching plant) to operate at higher than the standard applicable weights for vehicles of their design. This derogation is for a defined period. Due to the small number of vehicles and legislative nature of this derogation, no environmental impact assessment was conducted.

Answered by:
Rachel Maclean (Conservative)
2 June 2021