Tipper rates are rising
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by Tony Vaitehead
• Rates for tipper drivers in London and parts of the Southeast have risen by up to 50% since the beginning of the year.
The rise has been caused by a shortage of owner-drivers coupled with a boom in construction work, according to hauliers specialising in muckaway work.
Rates for transport to a tip vary, but £55 per load might now be charged, compared with £35 last December.
Andy Kane, managing director of Redbourn-based Kane Haulage, says: "Big new construction jobs like the M25 widening and Jubilee Line extension, have used up spare capacity now there's extra demand from housebuilders. Rates are bound to rise further this year."
Ray Wood, sales manager at Hounslow-based TA Wells Haulage, says rates had to increase to keep pace with increased fees at landfill sites: "hi the last two to three months there has been a marked increase in tipping costs— around 30-35%."
I lowever, Wood believes that tippermen are in a better position than they have been for more than five years to negoti
ate better rates: "Without a doubt there is a shortage of tippers. The recession from 1988 onwards led to a lot of people coming out of the business and a lot of vehicles and plant being exported, which should inevitably bolster rates for those left in the market."