Pollock calls for concerted action over fuel prices
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By Chris Druce THE INDUSTRY can still do more to ight for a fair deal on fuel, according to Bathgate haulier Pollock (Scotrans).
Despite concessions won in this year’s Budget under the umbrella of the FairFuelUK campaign, Harry Mulvey, inancial controller at Pollock, believes there is still scope to push for additional concessions.
“As an industry we can still do more. There’s potential for greater co-ordination so that we can make a concerted push to get action taken over fuel prices, which remains the single largest issue we face,” he says. Mulvey’s call came after the publication of Pollock’s accounts for the year to 28 August 2010 at Companies House. The directors cite high fuel prices as the major factor in a rise in operating costs for the period, which saw pre-tax proit for the year drop 39% to £211,901 (2009: £345,632). This included a boost from £31,795 of asset sales. It came despite a 13% increase in turnover to £16.1m (2009: £14.3m), thanks in part to a new deal with an unnamed client in the automotive sector.
Pollock is currently focused on reducing its fuel costs and emis
sions via driver training and the itting of tracking software to each of its 185-strong leet of trucks, but Mulvey concedes that meaningful improvements would take time to trickle down through the business.
“We’re making progress as a business and growing sales, but the market, as it does for everyone, remains very tight,” he says.
Earlier this year the operator added ive Euro-5 26.440 6x2 units to its West Lothian operations, as well as two TGM middleweight rigids for its next-day pallet distribution service.