Jan/Feb 2004

Will heavy vehicles actually take advantage of the new M6 toll road? Midlands Expressway, the company controlling the new motorway, has come under repeated fire for pitching the rate for multi-axle lorries too high at £10. Anecdotal evidence suggests that very few lorries are in fact using the road - confirming threats of a boycott.

The rate for two-axle trucks is only £5 (£4.25 excluding VAT), and the Freight Transport Association is urging their operators to take advantage of the new road. However, it points out that these trucks account for just 28 per cent of motorway lorry traffic, while articulated vehicles make up 65 per cent. It thinks the rate for these vehicles is too high.

For cars the rate is £2, or £1 at quiet times, although operator Midland Expressway has not ruled out the possibility that these prices will rise in due course.