Fastway collapse ‘just the start’ warns haulage chief as hundreds lose jobs

The collapse of Fastway Couriers, which ceased operations this morning with the loss of hundreds of jobs, is being described as a direct result of Government policy by the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA).

IRHA President Ger Hyland said the closure is a “body blow” to an industry already “on its knees”, warning that many more haulage firms will soon follow unless urgent action is taken.

“Fastway is only the beginning,” Hyland said.

“It won’t be long before we see hundreds of haulage companies entering receivership, leading to thousands of job losses, undelivered goods and a devastating impact on the Irish economy.”

He said rural hauliers are among the worst affected, with many now owed thousands of euro due to the sudden shutdown.

“They’ll find it almost impossible to recover those losses,” Hyland added.

The IRHA president blamed what he called a “punitive tax regime” and “crippling regulations” imposed by Government as factors that have pushed the transport sector to breaking point.

“This government gave us nothing in last month’s budget,” he said.

“We sat down with party leaders and explained what would happen if we did not get support. They cannot now say they weren’t warned about what happened today with Fastway.”

Hyland said the refusal to provide meaningful fuel supports or incentives to help hauliers transition to greener fuels such as HVO has left the sector exposed to spiralling costs.

“Government policy is to continue to impose higher fuel costs, ignore supports to help us transition to green fuels, and pile on more taxes and regulations on an industry that simply cannot cope,” he said.

He warned that the fallout from the Fastway collapse will have “enormous consequences” for small businesses across rural Ireland, many of whom have already paid for deliveries that may now never arrive.

“At this point, there are any number of small businesses that have paid for packages sitting in depots,” Hyland said. “Will customers get their products that they paid for? Will hauliers get paid for the work they’ve done? This is only the beginning of the chaos.”

Calling for an emergency Government support package for the transport and haulage industry, Hyland said the situation had reached crisis point.

“We are the wheels that make the Irish economy turn, but those wheels are coming off now,” he warned.

“If politicians are asked about these job losses and the impact on rural Ireland, I hope the question will also be why they didn’t listen when we warned this would happen.”