Proposed height restriction ban is a smokescreen

Banning so-called high-cube trailers on safety grounds is a smokecreen to deflect attention from the fact that the Government presided over the construction of a tunnel too small to accommodate oversize trailers, the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) has claimed.

The IRHA says research conducted by the Logistics Research Centre at Edinburgh University, shows the use of high cube vehicles reduces the cost to industry, the consumer, and the impact on the environment.

The report “Consolidating Volume-Constrained Loads in Double-Deck and High-Cube Trailers” by Professor Alan McKinnon and James Campbell concludes: “There is considerable potential for making better use of the cubic capacity of lorries, thereby cutting the cost of road haulage and reducing its impact on the environment.”

“The environmental benefits would not be confined to the decrease in exhaust emissions. Noise irritation, roadside vibration and accident levels would also be reduced. The consolidation of loads in double-deck or high-cube vehicles would also help to alleviate congestion.”