The current fuel duty rate is 57.95ppl and only a reduction can support the competitiveness of the UK economy, argues the RHA.
“Hauliers have no choice but to pass on the cost of fuel to their customers,” says RHA chief executive Richard Burnett.
“Fuel alone accounts for up to a third of an HGV’s running costs. A modern 44-tonne articulated truck will give around 8 mpg and typically cover 73,000 miles a year. To do that, it will use 41,483 litres (9,125 gallons) of diesel at a cost today of £39,496 ex-vat, and every penny increase – either in fuel duty or the actual price paid at the pump – adds over £400 a year to its operating costs.”
The association also points out that the impact of fuel duty is particularly damaging to those hauliers working in remote areas of the UK, where they are further from suppliers and major markets.