Haulage Permits and Trailer Registration Act 2018

This paper outlines the provisions of the Haulage Permits and Trailer Registration Act 2018, explains those issues which were raised during its passage through Parliament, and provides some background as to where the Act has come from and what issues it is designed to address.

It has two purposes:

1. It creates the architecture for a number of scenarios, including a ‘no deal’ Brexit. It would allow the Secretary of State to deal with the consequences of a range of exit scenarios on the UK haulage industry by creating an international road haulage permit scheme; and
2. It deals with the consequences of the UK ratifying the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, specifically as it relates to trailers, by providing the Secretary of State with powers to make a trailer registration scheme.

The Government’s policy is to work towards a Brexit deal that will not require the Secretary of State to use the powers given to him under Part 1 of this Act for EU countries, although the powers would be used for existing and future non-EU permit schemes.

During its passage through Parliament the Act was amended to:

• beef up the reporting and consultation requirements on the Government;
• give more Parliamentary oversight of the secondary legislation that may be made under the Act;
• include requirements as to assessing and reporting on trailer safety standards, with a view to legislating if necessary;
• address the question of random allocation of trailer permits; and
• create a new framework for trailer safety reporting and registration.

The Act, apart from certain provisions, extends and applies to the whole of the UK. Variations arise because the Northern Ireland Assembly has legislative competence for road haulage and trailer registration.

The relevant documentation relating to the Act during its passage through Parliament, including the explanatory notes and impact assessments, can be found on the Parliamentary Bill page.

The Government has published a consultation document on the implementation of the Act, focusing on how a haulage permits scheme should operate in the future, which trailers will require registration and how a trailer registration scheme will operate.

Further information on Brexit and transport can be found in HC Library briefing paper CBP 7633. Briefing papers on other areas of transport policy, Brexit and other issues can be found on the Commons Library website.