The government views the haulage industry as a “cash cow” and is failing to understand the concerns of companies who depend on the price of fuel to survive.
That is the belief of Dundee haulier Trevor Boyd, who fears that customers will soon turn their backs on road transport firms that increase prices to cover the cost of diesel.
Mr Boyd, of Boyd’s Transport, Mains Loan, welcomed The Courier’s call to introduce a fuel duty regulator adding that figures in the haulage industry had been talking about such an idea “for some time.”
He said it is the man in the street who is feeling the biggest impact of the rising cost of fuel, with companies reluctantly passing on the increases to their customers.
Asked what life is like for hauliers right now, he said, “You’re probably asking us at the most depressing time of year. Business is not brisk and in the Dundee area there is not much left in the way of manufacturing.
“Our employees probably deserve a wage increase, but we just can’t with these margins.”
He added, “We’re just a cash cow for the government.”
Mr Boyd estimates that it costs around 65p per mile to run one of his lorries, with each one covering around 2000 miles a week.
In total he believes that diesel accounts for around 45% of his company’s running costs.
With no future reduction in price evident and the government remaining tight-lipped on plans to introduce a fuel regulator, Mr Boyd fears that his customers will only be able to take so much before they look for cheaper alternatives.
Raising concerns about disparity in petrol prices across the country, he added, “When costs rise we have to pass it on, but it’s getting to the stage where customers cannot pay any more. Something has to give.
“In Dundee we pay what we pay, but if you go up north fuel is essential for the average guy to get to work and it’s killing them. Oil is meant to be a national asset and it’s time we had a national price for it.
“We get the VAT back, but it’s time that they (the government) look at what they get for it. This cannot go on.”