Glasgow, UK: Dunns Food and Drinks says delays receiving new vans means some of its vehicles will not meet emission standards by the time Glasgow’s low-emission zone takes effect and risks massive fines if it continues to deliver.
In an interview with BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme, Julie Dunn, operations director, Dunns Food and Drinks said: “If I have four trucks going into the city that are non-compliant five days a week for the seven or eight weeks that we will be operating before the new trucks arrive that would be around £140,000 of fines.”
The wholesaler is asking Glasgow City Council for more time to comply. The local authority said it had taken a phased approach to implementation with the low-emission zone first announced in 2017.
The zone covers large parts of the city centre, with fines ranging from £60 up to £480 per day for non-compliant vans and up to £960 for HGVs. Dunns, which has 300 customers within the zone, said it had ordered several compliant diesel vehicles in November 2021 but would not receive them until July due to supply chain delays.
Dunn said: “We have planned carefully and ordered compliant vehicles that under normal circumstances would have arrived well in time.”
“The knock-on effect of the Covid-19 pandemic, war in Ukraine, and the consequent global supply chain issues and domestic worker shortages could not have been predicted.
“To now face potentially tens of thousands of pounds in fines to carry out our day-to-day duties – which are vital to hundreds of businesses in Glasgow City Centre – due to global events outwith our control does not seem right.
“I am confident we are not the only wholesaler facing this situation, and I worry many other businesses could be affected too.”
The Scottish Wholesale Association is calling for a grace period for firms struggling to comply in time. The trade body said it supported the low-emission zone in principle but added that the “rapid introduction” would “make it very difficult for our members to operate their business efficiently”.
