Haulage Permits and Trailer Registration Act 2018

Overview of the Act

Reproduced verbatim from the Explanatory Notes published with the Act on legislation.gov.uk (Crown Copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0). Explanatory Notes are prepared by the responsible government department and are not part of the Act.

The Haulage Permits and Trailer Registration Act 2018 makes provision to support UK hauliers to continue to operate internationally after the UK leaves the European Union.

The Act provides the Secretary of State with the powers to introduce administrative systems for haulage permits, which may be needed once the UK has left the EU, and a trailer registration scheme, which is required following the UK’s ratification in March 2018 of the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic1 ("the 1968 Convention") (see the notes on Part 2 below).

The Secretary of State will be able to make regulations prohibiting the use of a goods vehicle registered in the UK on an international journey specified in the regulations without a permit where such permits are provided for in an international agreement. The regulations will also set out the administrative procedures for the allocation and granting of permits, including the number of permits available, the application process, the criteria to be taken into account in determining the issue of permits, and provisions for cancelling permits. Regulations will also allow the Secretary of State to establish an appeals process for the cancellation of a permit. The Act sets out enforcement provisions, including powers for examiners to require the production of permits and offences for breaching regulations or failing to produce a permit for inspection. The Act includes a power to charge fees for the application for, and the issue of, a permit. The Act requires the Secretary of State to lay a report before Parliament on the effects on the haulage industry where there are a limited number of permits for any EU member state.