SOARING fuel prices have led a Worcester haulage company to pay an extra £8,000 in just three weeks.
Martin Pinches, owner of Pinches and Sons Haulage, revealed the “significant amount” he and potentially other haulage businesses now face because of rising petrol and diesel costs.
The business on Blackpole Trading Estate West is a family-owned road haulage, transport, warehousing, and distribution company that relies on fuel to deliver products.
Mr Pinches admitted that, although his business has coped with the additional £8,000 increase, it is “still a significant amount of money.”
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“It is worrying because we also have National Insurance to pay, and it costs more to employ people, and this is another cost the poor company, or any company, has to bear,” he added.
“You try hard not to pass it on.”
He said the margins in businesses like his are dreadful and it is incredibly hard work for him and his team.
“We have been here a long time and have seen the ups and downs but [the increase] only affects people like us and below because you have to pass on the cost to supply and then on again,” he said.
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“It is the poor man at the end who is also dealing with dearer groceries and more.
“You have an escalation in price for the customer, but you do not get all the increase back – the haulier has to bear the costs”
Mr Pinches added that he wished there was greater support for businesses who are being impacted by rising fuel prices.
He said haulage companies are the backbone of the nation and crucial to ensuring the UK gets its goods on time.
Petrol prices across Worcestershire have risen drastically over the last three weeks, with many stations bordering the £2 a litre mark for diesel.
Pinches & Sons was founded in 1969 under Mervyn Pinches.
