Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what research his Department has carried out on the impact of (a) 38.4 tonne and 44 tonne volumetric mobile plants on road infrastructure and (b) increasing number of journeys required by the use of lighter volumetric mobile plants on the environment.

In 2017, the Government published the response to a consultation relating to specialised vehicle testing in which it was asked whether volumetric concrete mixers (VCMs) should be permitted to exceed the standard 32-tonne weight limit for vehicles of their design.

Prior to the consultation, it was common for some businesses in the sector to operate VCMs at weights in excess of this limit. The Department for Transport, working with National Highways (then Highways England), reviewed the effect of these loading practices on older local authority-owned bridges, and found that it was outside the modelled tolerances and would have unacceptable negative impacts on structures. No environmental impact assessment has been undertaken, however, an impact assessment was conducted at the time of the regulatory change, which included these factors, and is available online.