Key points
- The RHA wants 15p per litre of fuel support for haulage, coach and van operators.
- It also asks for a fuel duty freeze, the cancellation of planned increases and an end to RPI indexation.
- Fuel duty is due to rise from 52.95p to 55.95p on 1 January 2027 and to 57.95p on 1 March 2027.
- The average UK diesel price reached 200.04p a litre in the week of 12 October.
The RHA letter was sent on Monday 12 October. “Our ask is explicit: 15p-per-litre fuel support for haulage, coach and van operators,” wrote Richard Smith of the RHA. The organisation asked ministers to champion the industry’s case with the Treasury.
What the RHA wants
The RHA’s demands are:
- 15p per litre of fuel support for haulage, coach and van operators,
- a freeze in fuel duty and the cancellation of the planned increases,
- removal of the link between fuel duty and the Retail Prices Index (RPI).
“Businesses need immediate cashflow relief and certainty over future fuel costs,” the RHA wrote, so that operators can pay wages, cover fuel bills, maintain vehicles and keep serving customers.
The association bases its case on its “Back the Business” survey. Operators are under strong pressure, with little room to invest in people, replace vehicles or plan growth. “For some businesses, managing those pressures means surviving week to week,” it said.
Fuel duty: 5p more in three months
Fuel duty on diesel is currently 52.95p per litre, including the temporary 5p cut introduced in March 2022. In May, the government extended the cut until 31 December 2026. After that, the rates return to their previous path:
- 1 January 2027: 55.95p per litre (+3p),
- 1 March 2027: 57.95p per litre (+2p).
The Budget on 28 October is the last chance to change this schedule before it takes effect.
Meanwhile, pump prices keep rising. According to government data, the average UK diesel price was 200.04p per litre in the week of 12 October, up from 197.58p two weeks earlier.
What it means for a truck
A simple example shows the scale. A truck covering 120,000 km a year at 30 litres per 100 km uses about 36,000 litres of diesel. The 5p duty rise would add around £1,800 a year per truck. The 15p support the RHA is asking for would be worth around £5,400 a year for the same vehicle.
We have previously calculated that the fuel duty rise could cost £2,325 more per lorry, and reported on calls for a diesel rebate before the increases take effect.
Not only hauliers
The RHA says the pressure is felt “from haulage and last-mile deliveries to coach travel and home-to-school transport”. Targeted support “would help protect the capacity on which businesses, communities and the wider economy depend”, the association wrote.
For operators, the timing matters. Many transport contracts are priced months in advance, and a duty rise in January and March will hit margins before rates can be renegotiated. Operators who include fuel surcharge clauses in their contracts will be better protected than those on fixed prices.
The RHA’s survey remains open until the Budget. Whether the Chancellor listens will become clear on 28 October.
