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Anger over fuel prices
Page 7
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• UK hauliers are angry with Shell after experiencing disruptions to local fuel deliveries and price increases following the recent terrorist attacks in the US.
Hugh Lavers of Lavers Transport in Kent says the company has only agreed to one delivery since the attacks on 11 September, and the price charged was 2.5p/lit above the going rate.
Lavers, based in Sevenoaks with a fleet of 18 trucks, warns: "My own view is that hauliers will not put up with the situation and if they have to pay through the nose, pickets will start up again outside the refineries."
Sam Ostle of Sam Ostle and
Sons, who runs a fleet of 25 trucks from Kirkby Stephen in Cumbria, says he will never deal with Shell again because they gave no reason for refusing to take his order.
But Shell spokeswoman Cerris Tavinor says: "With limited resources, we have to give priority to people who have a contract with us. It is not unusual to be very busy coming up to the beginning of a month and it has been a little bit busier following the attacks in America.
"However, we would absolutely deny that we tried to profit out of that appalling incident in the United States."
"Our prices are quoted on a daily basis depending on market conditions. Whatever price is quoted is the price fixed that day. Shell is not the only oil giant to come under fire. Steve Semple, director of Glasgow-based transport clearance house Abel Transport, says more 7 — than 20 of its subcontractors
11 • k have complained about deliveries being disrupted by
_ other companies. "They felt the fuel companies were dictating terms about when they will deliver and at what price," he says. "Because the government gets so much tax from the oil companies, they aren't prepared to take them to task."
Steve Williams, southern and eastern regional spokesman for the Road Haulage Association, says several complaints had been received about oil companies refusing to quote a price before delivering: "It seems crazy that if you're trying to keep your costing correctly and order 20,000 litres of fuel at a price you think was correct, you get an Invoice showing it was 66p/lit, not 64p as you expected."