Hauliers Protest in Park Lane

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Hauliers Protest in Park Lane

Two convoys comprising nearly 100 trucks drove in to Marble Arch, London yesterday morning to protest against rising fuel prices.

The protesting hauliers travelled from Kent, Wales and Lincolnshire to hand in a letter of protest to the Treasury. The letter called on the Government to take the advice recommended by the Road Haulage Association (RHA) and classify hauliers as essential users.

As essential users, small hauliers would be entitled to a tax rebate. Currently this is not the case, and diesel costs, which have risen by 31% in the past 12 months, now account for 40% of a truck’s operating costs.

Chief executive of the RHA, Roger King, spoke of his frustration, saying: “The RHA goes into the Treasury with lots of ideas, but still comes out with nothing. It doesn’t have the bargaining power. In some way, we need to change that.”

Mr King highlighted the case of small hauliers, saying: “Oil companies are making record profits. None of the people here today are making anything like that. In fact, many aren’t making a profit at all.”