Haulage Permits and Trailer Registration Act 2018

Key Points

• Introduces a permit regime for haulage vehicles operating in the UK and allows the government to set criteria for granting permits (including potential selection methods).
• Debates over trailer registration: initial proposals for compulsory trailer registration were withdrawn in committee, but later report-stage provisions require data collection on trailer accidents and require a recommendation on mandatory safety testing for trailers over 750kg.
• Enhanced safety and reporting: amendments require a data‑gathering report on trailer accidents and an assessment of whether periodic mandatory safety testing is needed for larger trailers; a year-by-year report on the impact of EU-related restrictions on the haulage industry is also required.
• Increased parliamentary scrutiny of regulations: before regulations can be made under parts of the Act, a draft must be laid before Parliament; consultation requirements are introduced for regulations; some provisions for even tighter parliamentary scrutiny of regulations (e.g., committees sifting regulations) were debated.
• EU and post‑Brexit context: amendments sought to address ongoing EU licence arrangements and future negotiations, and to report on the effects of EU provisions, but several of these measures were not moved or were withdrawn during committee stages.

Progress

The bill completed its journey and received Royal Assent in July 2018, becoming law. Across the Lords and Commons, several amendments were agreed at report stage to strengthen data collection, safety considerations, and parliamentary scrutiny, while other EU-related or broader regulatory provisions were withdrawn or not pursued in committee stages.

Voting

The government-led majority backed the bill, with opposition parties generally opposing many amendments. Specific amendments on data collection, safety testing recommendations, and enhanced scrutiny were accepted at report stage, reflecting a balance between safety/data transparency and the government’s control over permit policy.