The road Haulage Association (RHA) has cited safety and environmental concerns as well as putting Scottish hauliers at a disadvantage in its campaign to bring the HGV speed limit in Scotland into line with England and Wales, writes Peter Brown.
RHA said it questioned the logic of the 40mph speed limit on single carriageway roads for trucks over 7.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight, given the success of the A9 trial and evidence from England and Wales, which moved to a 50mph limit in 2015.
Increasing the limit by 25% would bring three main benefits, the RHA argued: a reduction in risky overtaking by other drivers, reduced emissions because of more efficient fuel consumption, and economic benefits derived from faster journeys.
Martin Reid, RHA’s policy director for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, said: “In 2021, Transport Scotland announced it would conduct a National Speed Management Review, in part to look at this 50mph question. The review was to be done in 2021/22 and followed by a consultation.
“Since then, the timings have slipped again and again. We can’t understand why it’s taken so long to publish the results, hold the consultation and make the change.”
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “We are undertaking a National Speed Management Review, as set out in Scotland’s Road Safety Framework to 2030. The review covers comprehensive analysis of all types of speed management policies (including HGV speed limits) and initiatives in Scotland as well as a review of what has been introduced in other countries throughout the world.
“The review will consider what appropriate speeds mean within a Scottish context and recommend changes to national speed limits accordingly.”
