Freight and Road Haulage Groups Speak Out On Fuel　                       Source: handyshippingguide  2012-9-7
 
UK - There was unconcealed pleasure from all sectors of the British freight industry yesterday when news of the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) enquiry into fuel prices was revealed. The Road Haulage Association (RHA) was quick to issue a statement but celebrations were tinged with a note of caution as the British International Freight Association (BIFA) pointed out the hazards of changes at senior level within the Department for Transport (DfT) following the recent Government reshuffle.

The purpose of the OFT investigation is to discover why, when the price of a barrel of oil has fallen of late, hauliers and other motorists are paying record prices for diesel and petrol. The OFT will also examine whether there is a lack of competition between fuel retailers in some remote communities in the UK, and if concerns about price co-ordination and the structure of road fuels markets identified by other national competition authorities found during similar investigations in countries which include Germany, Spain and Australia, are relevant in the UK.

The OFT has come under increasing pressure from motoring organisations of late and says it will take a six week long look at why Britain is rapidly losing independent fuel suppliers unable to compete with supermarket prices at a time when, if critics are to be believed, profits are at record levels. RHA Chief Executive Geoff Dunning, said:

"Fuel pricing has always been a massive issue for the Association and its members. We are greatly encouraged that the OFT has recognised the concerns of the haulage industry and the general public and is preparing to take action. Diesel accounts for over a third of a haulier’s operating costs and between June 2007 and June 2012, diesel prices have risen by 43 per cent; a rise which will no doubt have a had a very significant depressing effect on the economy."

The RHA is not al