ROAD HAULIERS are considering mounting blockades in protest at the rising cost of fuel, which they say is set to drive many of them out of business.
Jimmy Quinn, the president of the Irish Road Haulage Association, said yesterday that the industry was facing a crisis on a scale not seen since the 1970s.
He said many truck operators were just six weeks from going out of business.
Mr Quinn said "there was a hunger for radical action" among members of the association. He said drivers would be influenced by what was happening elsewhere in Europe.
However, he said there was a window of opportunity for talks with exporters and the Government over the next fortnight.
Members of the association met for almost three hours in Portlaoise on Wednesday night to discuss spiralling fuel costs.
The meeting ended with a suggestion that truckers could mount a blockade to highlight their grievances. Truck operators say they can no longer continue to absorb the extra costs as a result of the rising price of fuel.
Mr Quinn said that the cost of filling a truck with diesel had risen from about €650 to €1,160.
He said some exporters had refused requests by hauliers for increases to take account of the rising fuel costs.
He said there was also anger among members at suggestions that some freight companies were charging surcharges to customers but refusing to pass on some of this to hauliers.
He said that the association had sought a meeting with Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey on the issue.
He said the association had had only one 20-minute meeting with the Minister since he was appointed last year.
The Department of Transport yesterday referred the issue of rising fuel costs for hauliers to the Department of Finance.
A spokesman for the Department of Finance said the Government was examining the issue.
However, the department said that fuel taxes in Ireland were lower than the average in other European countries.
It also said the Government had devoted considerable resources to reducing demand by encouraging alternatives that were already available.
Some Government sources suggested the introduction of fuel subsidies would not be a sound economic policy as oil companies would place constraints on supply to maintain prices.
Speaking in Co Offaly yesterday, Taoiseach Brian Cowen said he welcomed the news that the hauliers wanted to put their concerns to Mr Dempsey.
"I think that's the important point to make. I don't see any benefit in taking action other than sitting down and discussing to what extent we can be of any assistance," he said.
"But also of course it's a commercial matter between them and their customers. Hopefully they can find a way forward that enables them to deal competitively with the issues, and at the same time, obviously, to be able to carry on their business."