Cut our cost base before raising fuel prices again, say Hauliers

The Irish Road Haulage Association has called on the government to cut the cost of doing business for Ireland’s transport industry, in tandem with any future moves to restore punitive fuel taxes.

According to IRHA President, Ger Hyland, Ireland’s transport industry is increasingly facing higher costs, largely driven by Government and state agencies.

Hyland said that volatile fuel prices come on top of higher toll charges, higher insurance premiums, higher labour costs, higher vehicle costs, increased Dublin port charges, and a host of other taxes and increased charges that are largely controlled by the government.  

According to Hyland, the real issue facing the viability of Ireland’s transport sector, and therefore our inflation rate, is a raft of new state-imposed regulatory and compliance costs coupled with a growing range of environmental and administrative obligations. He described these costs as having a material impact on Irish inflation and the price of goods on the supermarket shelf.

According to Hyland “the transport community in Ireland are experiencing significant cost pressures despite maintaining high service levels.”

“Those higher costs we are facing will ultimately make their way onto the supermarket shelf and will mean higher food and goods prices. The government needs to re-evaluate the costs, regulatory and compliance burdens they are putting on small businesses, in particular in rural Ireland. From higher tolls, to increased Dublin port charges, those costs are ultimately a cost on the consumer,” he said.

Hyland has reiterated the position of the IRHA that any restoration of higher punitive fuel taxes should be done incrementally and over a protracted period of time.

He has also called on the government to revisit supports for the transport industry to transition to more environmentally friendly HVO fuels in the budget in October.