Fight over high-cube restrictions continues

The roadfreight industry has renewed efforts to convince government to scrap proposed restrictions on highcube containers. The Road Freight Association (RFA) has been asked to take the matter back to the Department of Transport (DoT) in a last-ditch attempt to sway government from lowering current heights in 2019. The RFA in 2011 managed to achieve a moratorium on the implementation of the maximum height restriction of 4.3m for highcube containers, allowing operators time to adapt their fleets by January 2019. This followed years of transporters being pulled off the road, vehicles being impounded and heavy fines being issued for transporting high cubes that often exceed the 4.3-metre mark. But with the moratorium in place operators were given breathing space to bring about the necessary changes to fleets to see them becoming legal. In many cases making a fleet legal could require buying new trailers altogether. According to RFA spokesman Gavin Kelly, they have yet to see operators preparing for this legislative change. “The DoT has been fixed on the approach of implementing a height restriction of 4.3 metres and we have had very little success in discussions with them – that date back years,” he said. “The DoT maintains the decision for the legislation is because high cubes are unstable and run the risk of falling over or getting stuck under bridges. They have yet to table proof of any of this.” In the meantime the country’s high-cube container transporters are going about their business as usual with very little regard for the pending deadline. “The moratorium will not be in place for ever,” warned Kelly. “In this regard we are hoping to revive discussions with the DoT.” Measuring in at 2.9 metres, high cube containers when transported on the back of a normal transport vehicle exceed the maximum height of 4.3 metres. “Most of the high cubes, depending on the wheels, measure in at around 4.6 metres so the adaptation of a fleet will have to make room for about a standard ruler length.” The industry has continuously been calling for a maximum height of 4.65 metres saying this was the same as an average double-decker bus.