Logistics and transport planning bosses faced an overall increase in costs of just over three per cent during the course of 2009, new figures have shown.
According to the Road Haulage Association's (RHA) Cost Movement Survey, total expenses excluding fuel rose by 3.1 per cent over the year.
Overhead costs shot up by 8.1 per cent, with greater demands in areas like health and safety and dealing with staff issues meaning more money was spent on administration.
The survey showed that driver employment costs edged up by 2.2 per cent - largely as a result of sickness and hiring replacement workers, rather than any increase in pay rates.
Insurance costs also rose by almost ten per cent, while expenditure on repair, maintenance and tyres increased by more than five per cent.
RHA director of policy Jack Semple said: "We have once again separated out fuel costs. This hugely volatile key area of costs carries from week to week and must not be allowed to obscure cost movements in other areas of a haulage business."
According to the Freight Transport Association, the current economic climate makes it more important than ever that businesses focus on compliance, best practice and cost reduction.
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