BRS forecasts big rate rise
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CUSTOMERS of British Road Services will have to pay rate increases of about 171 per cent, it was predicted this week. And BRS group coordinator, Mr Peter Thompson, has warned that there could be further substantial increases.
Costs in road haulage were beginning to accelerate again after a period of relative stability, he said. "Until October costs had only gone up by about 9 per cent since last January."
But before the end of •the year BRS faced increases in wages for drivers, fitters and clerical staff and subsistence payments would also go up.
"This represents an increase of between 7 and 10 per cent in total costs," Mr Thompson went on. And he said that any rise on the pump price of fuel could mean further increases later on.
"On long-distance full-load operations, for instance, each increase of one penny on a gallon of dery would represent a 0.4 per cent increase in total transport costs."
He claimed that BRS had done what it could to protect its customers during the year from the effect of increased costs by improving efficiency. But it was now seeking rate increases of 171 per cent.
A spokesman for the National Freight Corporation said that it did not impose rate structures on its subsidiary companies. "But obviously the factors which have hit BRS will also be affecting our other companies.