In article , asahartz
says...

However there's more to it than just "the motorist". The cost of diesel
hits everyone because it is passed on to the price of all goods, since
diesel is the fuel which is used by almost all transport (rail included
- freight locos are diesel). So *everything* goes up as a result and
inflation spirals. At the same time a lot of hauliers are going out of
business because they can no longer make a profit.

The hauliers are going out of business because although the retailers
etc are upping the price, using the rise in fuel costs as an excuse,
the rates the hauliers are getting isn't going up.

One owner driver on the trucknet forums says his diesel bill is now
£240 a week more than a year ago and its hurting hard.

--
Conor

I only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow isn't
looking good either. - Scott Adams

On 7 May, 10:50, Conor wrote:
The hauliers are going out of business because although the retailers
etc are upping the price, using the rise in fuel costs as an excuse,
the rates the hauliers are getting isn't going up.

One owner driver on the trucknet forums says his diesel bill is now
£240 a week more than a year ago and its hurting hard.

What I do not get is why not? I would assume the haulage industry is
close to a free market, so if the cost to supply a service is going
up, why do the hauliers not raise their prices? Presumably this is
hitting everyone the same, as the global costs have gone up. The only
explanation I can think of (while knowing next to nothing about how
the industry works) is that they have somehow got into multi year
fixed price contracts, but surely the cost of crude has been on the
rise for long enough now that anyone would include the cost of deseil
into the contract price? The other possibiliy may be some sort of
starbuck style loss making by a big player, but surely then they would
be the target of protests rather the desiel tax.

On Wed, 07 May 2008 11:04:34 +0100, wrote:

On 7 May, 10:50, Conor wrote:
The hauliers are going out of business because although the retailers
etc are upping the price, using the rise in fuel costs as an excuse,
the rates the hauliers are getting isn't going up.

One owner driver on the trucknet forums says his diesel bill is now
£240 a week more than a year ago and its hurting hard.

What I do not get is why not? I would assume the haulage industry is
close to a free market, so if the cost to supply a service is going
up, why do the hauliers not raise their prices? Presumably this is
hitting everyone the same, as the global costs have gone up. The only
explanation I can think of (while knowing next to nothing about how
the industry works) is that they have somehow got into multi year
fixed price contracts, but surely the cost of crude has been on the
rise for long enough now that anyone would include the cost of deseil
into the contract price? The other possibiliy may be some sort of
starbuck style loss making by a big player, but surely then they would
be the target of protests rather the desiel tax.


& there are more hauliers than work available.

Duncan Wood wrote:

On Wed, 07 May 2008 11:04:34 +0100, wrote:

On 7 May, 10:50, Conor wrote:
The hauliers are going out of business because although the
retailers etc are upping the price, using the rise in fuel costs
as an excuse, the rates the hauliers are getting isn't going up.

One owner driver on the trucknet forums says his diesel bill is
now £240 a week more than a year ago and its hurting hard.

What I do not get is why not? I would assume the haulage industry
is close to a free market, so if the cost to supply a service is
going up, why do the hauliers not raise their prices? Presumably
this is hitting everyone the same, as the global costs have gone
up. The only explanation I can think of (while knowing next to
nothing about how the industry works) is that they have somehow got
into multi year fixed price contracts, but surely the cost of crude
has been on the rise for long enough now that anyone would include
the cost of deseil into the contract price? The other possibiliy
may be some sort of starbuck style loss making by a big player, but
surely then they would be the target of protests rather the desiel
tax.


& there are more hauliers than work available.

They are competing against foreign owned trucks who fill up outside the
UK where desiel is cheaper even befoe vat is a consideration , road tax
is far lower and you can get a driver for penuts .

Many eastern european drivers drive on a piece work rate sometimes as
low as 10 pence a mile , sleeping in thier cabs , no uk based company
can compete with this ,The drivers often break driver hours rules and
have scant reguard to our traffic regulations because the chances of
prosecution and licence loss is remote

--

"steve robinson" gurgled happily,
sounding much like they were saying:

They are competing against foreign owned trucks who fill up outside the
UK where desiel is cheaper

So how come UK truckers can't take their trucks on a boozecruise, if it
makes so much difference?

even befoe vat is a consideration

You might like to look into EU VAT rules.

road tax is far lower

£280/yr for a 38t 3-axle trailer artic here.

and you can get a driver for penuts .

Funny how UK truck drivers vary between hideously underpaid and raking it
in, depending on the point trying to be made...

On 7 May, 12:06, "steve robinson"
wrote:
Duncan Wood wrote:
On Wed, 07 May 2008 11:04:34 +0100, wrote:

On 7 May, 10:50, Conor wrote:
The hauliers are going out of business because although the
retailers etc are upping the price, using the rise in fuel costs
as an excuse, the rates the hauliers are getting isn't going up.

One owner driver on the trucknet forums says his diesel bill is
now £240 a week more than a year ago and its hurting hard.

What I do not get is why not? *I would assume the haulage industry
is close to a free market, so if the cost to supply a service is
going up, why do the hauliers not raise their prices? *Presumably
this is hitting everyone the same, as the global costs have gone
up. *The only explanation I can think of (while knowing next to
nothing about how the industry works) is that they have somehow got
into multi year fixed price contracts, but surely the cost of crude
has been on the rise for long enough now that anyone would include
the cost of deseil into the contract price? The other possibiliy
may be some sort of starbuck style loss making by a big player, but
surely then they would be the target of protests rather the desiel
tax.

& there are more hauliers than work available.

They are competing against foreign owned trucks who fill up outside the
UK where desiel is cheaper even befoe vat is a consideration , road tax
is far lower and you can get a driver for penuts .

Many eastern european drivers drive on a piece work rate sometimes as
low as 10 pence a mile *, sleeping in thier cabs , no uk based company
can compete with this ,The drivers often break driver hours rules and
have scant reguard to our traffic regulations because the chances of
prosecution and licence loss is remote

As I say, I do not know anything about the industry, but it seems to
me that if it is ecconomical for the foreign owned trucks to come here
with full tanks to deliver between 2 sites within the UK, why is it
not ecconomical for UK trucks to go to the continent, fill up and then
return to do the same job?

As far as people being willing to work for less, I fear that is the
way the world is going. If you cannot command a higher price for your
work that someone else then you have to work for what they are willing
to work for, or retrain to make sure you can command the salery you
want. This is more true for transferable jobs than location based
ones such as delivery driving.

On 7 May, 12:17, wrote:
As I say, I do not know anything about the industry, but it seems to
me that if it is ecconomical for the foreign owned trucks to come here
with full tanks to deliver between 2 sites within the UK, why is it
not ecconomical for UK trucks to go to the continent, fill up and then
return to do the same job?

And I ment to add, this sort of thing is the only way I can imagine
changing the guvments mind about fuel duty, if they are getting
nothing because people are buying fuel abroad.

gurgled happily, sounding much like they were
saying:

As I say, I do not know anything about the industry, but it seems to me
that if it is ecconomical for the foreign owned trucks to come here
with full tanks to deliver between 2 sites within the UK, why is it not
ecconomical for UK trucks to go to the continent, fill up and then
return to do the same job?

And I ment to add, this sort of thing is the only way I can imagine
changing the guvments mind about fuel duty, if they are getting nothing
because people are buying fuel abroad.

Mmm. It's worked so well with booze & baccy...

On 7 May, 12:26, Adrian wrote:
gurgled happily, sounding much like they were
saying:

As I say, I do not know anything about the industry, but it seems to me
that if it is ecconomical for the foreign owned trucks to come here
with full tanks to deliver between 2 sites within the UK, why is it not
ecconomical for UK trucks to go to the continent, fill up and then
return to do the same job?
And I ment to add, this sort of thing is the only way I can imagine
changing the guvments mind about fuel duty, if they are getting nothing
because people are buying fuel abroad.

Mmm. It's worked so well with booze & baccy...

Yeah, but most people do not go to france for their booze and baccy.
If if is more profitable to buy your fuel in france and do your
driving in the UK, then every company should be doing it, so they
would sell no fuel to HGV drivers. This would be a bit different from
the very ocasional trip over the channel for ciggies.

gurgled happily, sounding much like they were
saying:

And I ment to add, this sort of thing is the only way I can imagine
changing the guvments mind about fuel duty, if they are getting
nothing because people are buying fuel abroad.

Mmm. It's worked so well with booze & baccy...

Yeah, but most people do not go to france for their booze and baccy. If
if is more profitable to buy your fuel in france and do your driving in
the UK, then every company should be doing it, so they would sell no
fuel to HGV drivers. This would be a bit different from the very
ocasional trip over the channel for ciggies.

Diesel is not much cheaper in France than in the UK - or, at least,
wasn't over Easter weekend... Likewise petrol.

Belgium etc? Dunno.