Stobart to lobby DfT for longer trucks to cut fuel costs

Andrew Tinkler, chief executive of Cumbria-based haulage giant Stobart, will meet with ministers from the department for transport next week to discuss the possibility of introducing longer trailers onto the UK's roads to help counter rising fuel costs.

Tinkler is behind a transport industry campaign to allow the use of trailers which are 95cm longer than a regular trailer, increasing average loads by 10%.

The Stobart boss was appointed to the Government's new fuel think-tank earlier this month. The group is charged with finding ways to help combat the impact of rising oil prices.

The DfT is believed to be softening on the idea of longer trucks after originally rejecting the idea.

Stobart, currently on an acquisition trail with several large takeovers completed in recent months, operates 1,800 trucks, 3,200 trailers and employs over 5,300 people in 40 locations across the UK, Ireland and Europe.