The Freight Transport Association (FTA) says that the bulk price of diesel has risen from GBP0.76 per liter during the same period in 2007 to GBP1.06 per liter currently, an increase of 40%. The FTA also said that the problems for UK transport are increased by the large numbers of foreign vehicles coming into the country fueled by cheaper continental diesel.
James Hookham, director of policy at FTA, said: The horrendous rise in the world price of oil has imposed a daily increase in the price of diesel, and thus the cost of freight transport. The toxic combination of high world oil prices combined with the UK’s self-inflicted high fuel duty regime constitutes a serious problem for every company in the country.
Almost everything that we use or consume every day is the product of a lorry journey fuelled by diesel. The cost of those journeys continues to rise at a frightening rate. Sadly, at GBP0.50 per liter, the highest duty rate in Europe, the cancellor takes a disproportionately high cut of that cost, far too much. Foreign hauliers working in the UK do so at a lower cost than can be achieved by UK operators.
