Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps are being taken to assist British road haulage companies which also operate in the European Union to obtain dual registration of their vehicles.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport implemented the dual registration measure in summer 2022 to support the UK’s road haulage companies that specialise in cultural touring internationally. This was in recognition of the particular challenges this sub-sector faced resulting from EU exit, affecting their ability to support multi-stop international tours. Dual registration is not available for general haulage supporting other sectors.

The dual registration measure is for operators working on a ‘hire or reward’ basis who have an established haulage base outside Great Britain (GB) and who also maintain a GB haulage base. It allows operators to temporarily transfer their vehicles between their two operator’s licences. Guidance setting out the criteria that must be met in order for an operator to use the dual registration measure is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/dual-registration-for-specialist-events-hauliers.

Individual British road haulage companies should decide whether to use the dual registration measure, based on their eligibility and business operating models.