THE OPERATORS
Page 31
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
A study in late 2010 conducted by CM revealed that 92% of UK operators were not aware that Euro-6 would start affecting the market in 2013 and, perhaps more worryingly, only 67% had considered how the changes would affect their current and future purchasing strategy.
Six months on, the majority of operators are still largely unaware of the impact of Euro-6, with our Trucking Britain Out of Recession survey revealing that 54% of operators surveyed were not sure, or were completely unaware, of the expected impact the legislation would have on fuel economy or capital costs of new vehicles.
This lack of awareness is not confined to smaller fleets, with 43% of operators running fewer than 50 vehicles aware of the impact of Euro-6 compared to 52% of fleets with more than 50 vehicles.
While awareness is growing in the industry, operators appear reluctant to talk on the record about their plans for Euro-6, with many nervous about committing to the technology – without knowing the full effect on running costs – and being caught out.
Fear of the unknown seems to be the driving force behind operators’ reluctance to investigate the technology, preferring to stick with what they already have, with one haulier we spoke to telling us that Euro-6 won’t be an issue for his business as he is confident the availability of Euro-5 trucks will remain for some time after the 2014 cut-off through stockpiled assets and leasing companies.