'If we have to scale back as a company, or stop, we'll stop! ' - Leitrim haulier

Leitrim haulier, Gerry McMorrow told the Leitrim Observer this week, that while hauliers "appreciate that there is a war on and everyone is under pressure" but added that "because of the volume of fuel we use to transport everything, it's really hitting us hard."

He was speaking after the government was urged to "think outside the box" in terms of finding solutions to the ongoing and worsening fuel crisis, according to the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA).

Ger Hyland, IRHA president, has said temporary measures taken to ease fuel prices have already been "swallowed up" by subsequent hikes in the price of oil, leaving the country's motorists back "where they were a week ago," the Irish Examiner has reported.

He added that he believes the Government will need to consider extreme measures, such as a potential cap on fuel prices.

Mr McMorrow continued: "We have some fuel variation agreements with some of our customers but the problem is that it's not enough because the fuel has gone so high."

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He said measures including the introduction a temporary 20 cent per litre (cpl) excise duty cut on diesel and a 4.5 cpl increase in the Diesel Rebate Scheme (DRS) did help but "unfortunately, the way the fuel is escalating, that has just been eaten up. We're gritting our teeth and hoping common sense will prevail in worldwide sense."

The IRHA have an agreement in place with the government that they will meet on a fortnightly basis to review the situation. "The supply chain is very important to the whole country because trucks move cargo to keep food on the shelves and oil in the tank so if we have to increase our costs that puts it on to you and me and everyone else. It will come to the point, with some hauliers, that they just can't pay for the diesel or repairs."

He continued: "Haulage has been really tortuous for the last number of years because so many regulations have been introduced, the pension scheme, wages have gone higher, drivers are getting very scarce and the cost of everything has escalated. We have customers who say they can't increase their costs as they'll lose their customers - it's a circle."

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He said that an average truck burns around 250l of diesel per day and there has been "60c of an increase so multiple 250 by 60c and that's just the fuel. Then you have your engine oil, your tyres, your repairs, the people that drive the truck; what's going to happen next is they will be looking for more money because wages aren't going as far. Whereas previously 35 per cent of your cashflow went on diesel, now it's 60 per cent of your turnover. You're just running the well dry and that's the problem. If we have to scale back as a company, or stop, we'll stop."

He concluded: "Another fear I have is that we won't actually get fuel so price is one part of it and accessibility. It's out of control and a worldwide issue."