The Freight Transport Association has revealed that three out of four of its Kent based transport operators have had to pass increasing costs in fuel onto their customers, fuelling inflation.

Natalie Chapman, FTA’s Head of Policy for Kent commented “These results demonstrate how much pressure Kent’s transport operators are under.”

Members were asked if the rising cost of fuel over the last 12 months has influenced behaviour, to which 70% of respondents said that they have increased their rates and a further one in five had reduced the number of drivers in their workforce.

Natalie Champman:

“These results demonstrate how much pressure Kent’s transport operators are under. With profit margins in the industry already wafer thin, the prospect of having to absorb two further planned fuel duty rises in 2012 does not bode well and we fear more redundancies and insolvencies in the sector.

“Fuel accounts for around 40 per cent of the cost of running a heavy truck, so rising fuel prices are an extremely daunting prospect for many in the industry.”

The impact of foreign trucks is a major concern as Kent is an international gateway for trade, the FTA survey worryingly revealed that three out of four hauliers ‘agreed’ that ‘foreign lorries in Kent fill up on cheaper diesel and undercut local businesses.’