"Be games ready" call for hauliers

Hauliers have been warned they will need to remain compliant with the London Lorry Control Scheme despite changes to the Excluded Road Network (ERN) during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

London Councils, speaking at the ‘Get Set for 2012’ Freight Planning Conference, stressed the urgent need for hauliers to check if their current approved routes are still valid and if they need updating to cope with the disruption to London’s roads during July and August.

To help deal with the changes, London Councils suggested companies follow a six point plan, including checking existing routes for validity, mapping those against the variations to the scheme and checking the dates when variations will be in place.

“With more than 100 miles of roads affected by the Games, hauliers need to be confident they can carry on as normal without fear of delays and disruption because of roads being unavailable to HGVs,” said Freddie Talberg, Chief Executive of PIE Mapping.

“With the likelihood of lengthy diversions to remain compliant, hauliers will need to allow extra time for regular delivery schedules which could have a knock-on effect on driver hours and all important customer service levels.”

To provide hauliers with routes that will be compliant during the Games and after routes revert back to their previous state, PIE Mapping provides a Games ready route planning and approval tool.

The online tool automatically generates a compliant route specifically suited to the size of the vehicle, avoiding width, weight and height restrictions. Once the route is planned, the online system submits the route to London Councils for instant approval and prints off a route card for drivers.

“With the potential for massive upheaval to the everyday working patterns of HGV operators and London Councils enforcing restricted movements of 18+ tonne vehicles during the Games, it is vital that hauliers know what routes they can and can’t use,” added Freddie.