The announcement of a general election is good news for the logistics industry, as Brexit draws near and the transition to a zero-emission economy is on the cards, according to Freight Transport Association Ireland (FTAI).
With a General Election now confirmed for 8 February 2020, Aidan Flynn, General Manager of FTAI commented: “FTAI is pleased the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, has called a General Election; confidence among businesses in the existing Government is dwindling as the lack of a working majority – among other issues – has created ineffective governance. In the view of FTAI, we need strong leadership to guide the country through the challenging years ahead – from adjusting to the post-Brexit trading environment to transitioning the road transport sector to zero-emission – and this calls for a decisive and effective Government.”
“The FTAI is calling on all prospective candidates and parties to prioritise the issue of Brexit in their campaigning and consider how they would synergise the freight distribution and logistics sector with regulatory bodies; collaboration, focus and commitment is key. And, with the possibility of a cliff-edge No Deal Brexit in December 2020, we must have complete confidence the Government is able to lead logistics businesses through potentially uncertain economic and political climates.”
“Climate issues are of grave concern to commercial fleet operators; the sector is committed to reducing its environmental impact wherever possible. But the Government’s current emission targets are, in the view of FTAI, unfeasible. To successfully transition to a zero-emission industry, we need a leadership team that understands the challenges businesses are facing; it must then design its polices with these issues in mind. At FTAI, we want to see the recommendations outlined in 2019 Low Emission Vehicle Taskforce Phase 2 Report materialise; namely, the introduction of a new reduced tolling incentive regime for alternatively fuelled heavy-duty commercial vehicles (HCV) and the establishment of vehicle purchase grants to support increased uptake of low emission vehicles.”