Lorries and other HGV's need to meet certain emission standards when travelling within the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ).
All vehicles in this category will need to meet Euro VI standards. The ULEZ will be enforced based on the declared emissions of the vehicle rather than the age - but Euro VI engines are generally those registered with the DVLA after 2014.
If these standards are not met then certain charges will apply. Transport for London has stated that they would prefer vehicle owners to use vehicles that meet the new emission standards rather than pay the daily charge. Said charge runs from midnight to midnight, if you drive with the ULEZ area across two days, for example before midnight and after midnight, you will have to pay two daily charges. The daily ULEZ charge comes to £100 with a penalty charge of £1000 if this is not paid (reduced to £500 if paid within 14 days)
These charges are in addition and do not replace any congestion charge or Low Emission Zone (LEZ) charges that already apply.
The ULEZ zone takes up most of Central London and extends as far as the edge of Whitechapel and Vauxhall meaning if you take on a job in the Central London area you are likely to have to enter this zone. From the 25th October 2021 this is expected to be extended to the North and South Circular boundary of London, reach Greenwich and Lewisham.
There are a number of ways to pay the charge, such as setting up Auto Pay that will automatically take your payment and avoid any unnecessary fines, paying online manually or paying by phone. Whichever way you wish to pay it is better than not paying and being slapped with a £1000 fine.
If you do not want to buy a new vehicle to avoid these charges you can also fit emissions reduction technology to your vehicle to allow them to meet the standards. Retrofit technology needs to be certified by the government's Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS). The CVRAS currently only has emissions reduction technologies certified for buses, coaches and refuse vehicles, although equipment suppliers can test and certify equipment. Any HGV with emissions reduction technology fitted needs to have this certified by the CVRAS. Once certified, the owners should notify TfL directly. More details on the retrofit accreditation process and suppliers are available on the Energy Savings Trust website.
This added expense is significant and could affect smaller companies and independent drivers to have difficulty taking on jobs that involved entering the ULEZ zone.