Development of hydrogen and battery heavy goods vehicles is already well advanced and they are expected to be commercially available in the early 2020s.

Commission chairman Sir John Armitt said the move is necessary to provide the freight industry with the certainty it needs to invest in green technologies.

Banning new sales of diesel HGVs should also be part of wider efforts to support the entire road and rail freight industry to become carbon free by 2050, it adds.

Over the next 30 years heavy freight transport in the UK is expected to increase by at least a quarter.

Freight on road and rail is said to produce around 9% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions today. If no action is taken the sector could be responsible for around a fifth of all emissions by 2050, the Commission says.

It also calls for the creation of a new Freight Leadership Council to bring all parties together to solve future challenges with an integrated strategy.

Sir John Armitt said: “We all rely heavily on our freight industry, but we are paying the price for this miracle of modern service through the impact on our environment and air quality, and through congestion on our roads. Government must act to help businesses tackle these issues.”

Commissioner Bridget Rosewell added: “Clear, decisive action is needed now if we’re to have a zero carbon freight industry by 2050, which could help us to meet our stretching climate change targets.”

(Photograph: Highways England)