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Euro cowboys are running on red

11th April 1991, Page 6
11th April 1991
Page 6
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Page 6, 11th April 1991 — Euro cowboys are running on red
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

• A growing number of small hauliers are cutting their costs by running on illegal red diesel to the Continent, Commercial Motor has learned.

As margins tighten for owner-drivers on international journeys, more and more desperate operators are gaining an unfair advantage by carrying untaxed fuel in belly tanks and using it to get them to Spain or Italy.

They are buying red diesel in the UK for about half the price of on-road dery and filling their fuel tanks once abroad. The dyed diesel, which can only be used legally by farmers, boat owners and machinery operators, can even be bought at truckstops for use in reefer units.

Drivers risk arrest or the impounding of their trucks if caught with red diesel in their fuel tanks, but checks by Customs officials, particularly in Spain and Italy, are notoriously rare.

UK Customs officers can do little to stop trucks leaving the country with belly tanks full of red diesel: "It is not an offence under UK law and our officers can only work within UK law," says a spokesman. "But if the red diesel is in the running tank we can seize the vehicle."

The situation is made more difficult by the fact that hauliers have traditionally — and legally — carried belly tanks of untaxed fuel when going to Eastern Europe or the Middle East. Its use is forbidden in trucks in the EC.

HM Customs is establishing closer links with its counterparts in other EC countries, but admits that it cannot alert colleagues on the Continent if it suspects drivers are likely to use red diesel when they leave the country.

International operators trying to run legitimately are furious at the increasing use of red diesel and the powerlessness of Customs men to do anything: "This has been the plague of our business," says Taunton haulier Paul Selway. "It's killing the industry. These guys are paying 17p a litre for red, and it has no VAT on it. Diesel costs us 33.5p a litre."

French Customs officials do carry out some spot checks on hauliers' fuel tanks, but the Spanish never do, he says. "There were nine British trucks at a bar in Valencia the other day. Four of them were running on red."

Selway says he has been running to Spain for seven years: "In all that time, we've never had our tank dipped. These operators are facing increased ferry costs, diesel and peage. The only way they can compete is to get their costs down. If red diesel wasn't used, lots would go out of business and rates would go back up to where they should be," he says.

Tags

People: Paul Selway
Locations: Valencia

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