The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) has briefed Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien on a cross-border levey that has cost Irish hauliers €40 million in the past 12 months.

Irish hauliers operating in Northern Ireland have to pay a £10 per day levy, which the IRHA has described as “inequitable and counterproductive”.

Under current UK law, HGVs travelling main roads in the UK are required to pay a £10 daily levy, with fines of up to £300 and potential vehicle impoundment of the vehicle if the levy isn’t paid.

The IRHA has suggested that the government should reconsider its financial backing of the A5 motorway plan, which aims to improve the connectivity between Donegal and Monaghan, until the matter is reviewed.

Hauliers from Northern Ireland are not currently subject to any counter-levy from the Irish government when operating south of the border.