Big fuel costs

ONCE again we have seen a summer of oil price increases filtering through to the pumps, resulting in retail fuel prices at more than £1 per litre. For the transport industry operating large vehicles these increases mean serious money. And, of course, the

ONCE again we have seen a summer of oil price increases filtering through to the pumps, resulting in retail fuel prices at more than £1 per litre.

For the transport industry operating large vehicles these increases mean serious money. And, of course, the cost of moving goods ends up being paid for by all of us as consumers.

Fuel amounts to about a third of the operating costs of the largest vehicles. In January that was around £30,000 per year.

Since then the increase in the price of oil has added a further £2,300. And in his March Budget the then Chancellor, Gordon Brown, said that from October he was going to increase UK fuel duty, already by far the highest in Europe, by another 2p per litre, adding a further £800 per year to the bill for a single truck.

The UK transport industry is already suffering from the competitive problems presented by foreign vehicles operating on far lower costs.

The Freight Transport Association says the Government is already taking enough from lorry operators in fuel duty and that the Chancellor should recognise the problems and scrap his plans for increasing fuel duty.

Gordon Telling

Head of Policy - London, South East and East of England

Freight Transport Association