Event transport Europe news
13/12/2011
Overheads getting higher
The spiralling cost of fuel is hitting the event transport industry in Europe, with major haulage operators citing it as their biggest concern.
A recent report, Freight Transport Association's Manager's Guide to Distribution Costs 2011, estimates that, on average, vehicle operating costs for rigid, articulated and drawbar vehicles ballooned by 6.2 per cent in the 12 months to 1 October 2011, and are now more expensive than ever before.
Unsurprisingly, rises in the price of diesel, which has skyrocketed by 13.9 per cent in the same period, is the biggest factor behind these record costs. However, the event transport industry in Europe has also had to contend with significant increases in other running costs. For example, tyre-related costs have risen by 8.3 per cent at a time when overheads have also jumped by 5.6%.
Yet, many event transport specialists, whether they are operating in the South of England, in places such as Southampton, Portsmouth and Littlehampton or more northern cities, have not been able to increase their charging rates to match the rise in costs. The report calculates that domestic rates are up by only 2.8%, while it is thought that continental rates have similarly failed to rise in synchrony with exploding operating costs.
