The Department for Transport (DfT) is allowing more than 1,000 trailers to be included in the scheme, with up to 900 measuring 2.05 metres longer than the existing benchmark and a further 900 that will be 1 metre longer.

The Government believe the trial will boost the economy, reduce road journeys and cut pollution.

Andy Mair, Head of Engineering Policy at the UK Freight Transport Association (FTA) said: “FTA research suggests that there are significant environmental and efficiency benefits on offer from deploying these vehicles. “

However, concerns have been raised over safety, the ability to fully utilise the additional space and the impact on small haulage firms.

The Rail Freight Group’s Policy Manager Maggie Simpson said: “The DfT’s decision to proceed with trials of longer lorries is a blow to the rail freight sector, and raises questions about this government’s commitment to greener transport.”

In other news, drivers stung by high fuel costs have reduced petrol use by 15 per cent since the credit crunch hit, new figures show.

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The research, carried out by the AA, has shown that between January and June this year 1.7bn fewer litres of petrol and diesel were sold at UK petrol stations than in the first half of 2008.

The motoring organisation believes that the drop in petrol sales is a direct result of record fuel prices. It is said that the decline has cost the Treasury nearly £1bn in fuel duty over the first six months of 2011.  

The AA’s study also suggests that supermarkets have coped better during the downturn with a 0.4 per cent increase in fuel consumption compared to a drop of 11.8 per cent for non-supermarket retailers.

In other news, the sharpest increase in traffic congestion within UK cities has been noted in Oxford, according to new research.

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A study carried out by traffic expert TomTom has found that in the last six months, Oxford has risen from sixth place to third in a table of the most congested areas in the country.

The firm claimed 31.2 per cent of Oxford’s main roads are now clogged with traffic, a rise of 2.2 per cent since March.

The second highest increase in congestion over the half-year period was recorded in Belfast, followed by Bolton, Southampton and Sheffield.

Overall, London topped the table for the UK city that is most traffic-clogged, followed by Scotland’s capital Edinburgh.

The least congested towns or cities are Northampton, Warwick and Chesterfield, all with congestion rates of less than ten per cent.

In other news, FairFuelUK’s Government e-petition has received the 100,000 signatures needed to trigger a full parliamentary debate on the high cost of fuel.

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The petition was launched at the end of July by pressure group FairFuelUK, in conjunction with Robert Halfon MP for Harlow, as part of a high profile campaign urging the Government to cut fuel duty and introduce measures to drive down pump prices on UK forecourts.

Campaign founder Peter Carroll, says: “The government made it clear that they wanted this new e-petition facility to be a means by which the public could express what they saw as the most important issues in their lives. The public have spoken loud and clear.”

MP Halfon, said: “Rip-off petrol and diesel prices are now so high they are a poverty tap, keeping people on benefits as job-seekers can’t afford to travel. Many businesses are struggling to stay afloat.”

Backed by the Freight Transport Association and the Road Haulage Association, FairFuelUK was instrumental in getting the planned duty rise in March abandoned.

In other news, nearly 30 per cent of drivers send texts while at the wheel, according to a new survey.

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The poll by road safety charity Blake and insurance company Direct Line, found that eight per cent of motorists text as they drive at least once a week.

Meanwhile, nine per cent of drivers surf the web, or uses email, apps, and navigational data or social networking sites when driving. As a result, motorists are often distracted cognitively, physically and visually.

Julie Townsend, Brake campaigns director, said: “People who text, use the web or social networking when driving are taking enormous risks with their own and other people’s lives.”

Frances Browning, spokesperson for Direct Line Car Insurance, said: “Mobile phone technology has become such an intrinsic part of our lives that many drivers feel it is perfectly acceptable to drive whilst, talking, texting, emailing or even surfing the web on their phone.”

Both organisations agree that driver distraction from mobile phones could rise as technology uptake increases and smartphone obsession becomes more common.

In other news, pedestrian ‘gadget addicts’ are becoming a danger on the roads, it has been revealed.

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According to a poll by LV= Insurance, 11 per cent of pedestrians say they regularly cross the road while distracted by a gadget such as a smartphone.

The research revealed four per cent of pedestrians even send email and text messages as they cross between passing cars, despite 31 per cent admitting their ability to cross safely is extremely impaired when doing so. 

A total of 2,220 motorists and 2,208 adults completed the survey. It showed that nine per cent of drivers had had a near miss with a pedestrian for that reason.

John O-Roarke, managing director of LV= Insurance, said: “Mobile technology and electronic gadgets are a huge distraction for us all.

“The increasing range of functions offered by gadgets like smartphones mean there are endless ways to have your attention diverted on the roads and pedestrians need to wake up to the dangers of crossing roads while using them.”

In other news, according to a recent survey by comparison site Confused.com, 32 per cent of motorists are steering clear of service stations.

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The survey saw one in seven motorists confess to not taking any breaks during a four-hour journey, increasing the risk of sleep-related accidents on motorways.  

The research was carried out by Newcastle University. Dr Joan Harvey, a Chartered Psychologist at the University, advised long distance drivers to stop every 90 minutes.

She explained: “When driving on motorways or other monotonous roads, a motorist’s maximum concentration level is only maintained for 20-30 minutes. After this time, they will start to become bored and will drive on ‘auto pilot’.

“After a further 40 minutes of driving their blood sugar levels will drop. These two factors are a dangerous combination as the motorists will start to feel sleepy and will be slower to react to any hazards that might occur.”

Peter Rodger, a chief examiner with the Institute of Advanced Motorists said: “Research suggests that one in five crashes on motorways are sleep-related. Regular breaks at service stations are essential for preventing such accidents from happening.”

In other news, campaign group FairFuelUK took its message to the Liberal Democrat Conference in Birmingham earlier this week to drive support for struggling motorists.

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Motoring journalist Quentin Willson, who is leading the group, joined a panel of experts at a fringe event organised by ‘The Transport Hub’ which aimed to challenge politicians on the need to consider economic growth, affordable road fuel and the environment.

FairFuelUK needs just 10,000 more signatures on its petition to force a Parliamentary debate on the fuel duty issue.

Quentin said: “There was broad agreement that hard working people are suffering from the shortcomings and costs of public transport plus the pain of some of the highest levels of fuel duty in Europe.  The panel and the audience agreed that the current costs of personal and public mobility must come down.  I restated the central call of the FairFuelUK campaign for an immediate cut in fuel duty to stimulate the economy and create desperately needed jobs.”

The campaign already has the support of 150 MPs, however Peter Carroll, a member of the FairFuelUK campaign team, said it would attend all three major party conferences to generate more support in the Commons.

In other news, Jaguar Land Rover yesterday confirmed plans to open a £400m engine plant in the Midlands which will create 2,000 jobs.

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The Transport Select Committee says changing drivers’ behaviour could play a big part in easing traffic levels which are predicted to cost the UK economy an additional £22 billion by 2025.

Committee chairman Louise Ellman said young drivers should have a far wider experience of all road conditions before taking a driving test.

“It’s about having more responsible driving and not getting involved in bad behaviour and road rage. When the road narrows and two lanes converge into one people can start undertaking.

“Bad driving behaviour can add to the problem with people getting angry and not reading the road signs properly.”

Other measures put forward by the committee include keeping drivers updated on the Highway Code via a smart phone application and posting out leaflets every time a driver renews their licence.

However AA president Edmund King was skeptical of the impact tougher driving tests would have on congestion.

“Drivers tend to hog the middle lane because they are inconsiderate rather than because they don’t know the rules of the road,” he said.

In other news, motorists already suffering under high fuel prices are facing yet another blow as garages put up their servicing costs, according to a report in the Telegraph.

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Warranty Direct has told the paper that garages are charging customers £80.44 an hour on average, compared with £74.82 this time last year.

The firm’s annual Labour Rates Survey suggests using franchised dealers for repairs rather than an independent could be 57 percent more expensive.

One such garage in Essex charges its customers a massive £202.21 an hour for labour, in vast contrast to the lowest price detailed in the research; £60.68 was charged by one independent.

Duncan McClure Fisher of Warranty Direct told the Telegraph: “Drivers might have hoped there’d be some reprieve from the staggering costs of motoring, but no, they’re getting clobbered yet again.  To think that some workshops are charging in excess of £200 an hour is astounding – that’s equivalent to some people’s weekly wage. Motoring costs are approaching an unsustainable level.

“There’s been a move to push fixed priced service deals, but the knock-on effect is that dealers then charge much more for anybody who isn’t locked in and, once the car is on site, it’s often impractical to find a better price.”

In other news, over 35 percent of transport businesses have been forced to turn down work due to escalating fuel costs, leading fuel card reseller The Fuelcard Company has advised.

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Over 35 percent of transport businesses have been forced to turn down work due to escalating fuel costs, advises leading fuel card reseller The Fuelcard Company.

In a poll of 1,480 of the company’s fleet customers, over a third (528) admitted high fuel costs were leaving some jobs unprofitable with several admitting work is turned down on a daily basis. All questioned agreed that the price of fuel is crippling the industry with some quoting 15 percent losses of income due to fuel price increases in the last three years.

“Businesses across the UK are feeling the squeeze as fuel prices continue to soar,” warns The Fuelcard Company’s Sales and Marketing Director, Jakes de Kock. “The UK’s fleet companies are the backbone of the UK economy providing an essential service as road transport is usually the only way goods can get to their final destination.”

The survey also highlighted the measures taken by fleet companies in reducing fuel spend over the last 12 months with a worrying 17 percent reducing the number of vehicles in their fleets, which in turn reduces the number of drivers required.

“The continued fuel price increase has hit small and medium sized businesses particularly hard with many forced out of business”, continues de Kock. “Support is needed to keep these businesses afloat and we urge Government to review levels of tax applied to fuel. The rise in fuel cost will see the price of everyday goods rise steeply, fresh food become more difficult to find and many jobs could be lost.”

It’s clear fleet companies are already doing as much as they can themselves to reduce the cost of driving where possible with 13 percent introducing fuel efficiency driving training and over half (56 percent) sourcing cheaper fuel. A fixed price fuel card can on average, save between 3p and 5p per litre on the UK pump price. Fuel card resellers, such as The Fuelcard Company, are able to offer such discounts through the sale of ‘Bunker’ fuel, similar to wholesale.

De Kock continues: “Exclusive discounts apart, considerable time and cost savings can be made via more streamlined administration that offers greater efficiencies into the bargain. Electronic data reports delivered weekly to clients become a key management tool, as the exact fuel usage per vehicle is shown.  A HMRC approved consolidated VAT invoice of all business fuel spent is also provided to fuel card users, ensuring businesses claim back 100 percent of VAT on business fuel expenditure.”

In other news, a rural bus service has been handed over to a commercial provider by the council, with drivers being replaced with unpaid volunteers.

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