The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has given a lukewarm reception to yesterday's (June 22nd) emergency Budget announcement.
Chancellor George Osborne outlined several proposals that will impact on the freight industry, but the FTA said it still wants "further action to support the sector that is the lifeblood of the whole economy".
It welcomed the government's decision not to increase fuel duty but the body said it was opposed to the threat of above-inflation increases scheduled to come into force later this year.
A rise of just one pence per litre, which has been proposed to take effect on October 1st, would cost commercial vehicle operators an extra £125 million a year, the FTA warned.
James Hookham, the organisation's policy director, said: "FTA is pleased to see the concerns of the logistics sector taken seriously at the heart of the Budget. We welcome the chancellor's recognition of the sensitivity of transport costs to changing fuel prices at a time when the recovery is still fragile and world oil prices volatile."
Yesterday (June 21st), the FTA said the government's plans to make eco-driving training mandatory was "counterintuitive".
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