‘I will still struggle’: Furious driver slams fuel duty cut as fuel costs threaten jobs

Petrol prices: Haulage boss addresses supply concerns

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Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a cut of five pence per litre of fuel duty during his Spring Statement on Wednesday, following weeks of price rises. With petrol and diesel costs remaining at all-time high prices, thousands of drivers are saying the reduction is not enough.

Foday Mansaray is a haulier and director of his single truck business where he does logistics for Sure, and spoke about how the fuel prices have impacted him.

Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, he said: “The cost of fuel has skyrocketed with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – but I’m not being paid any more than before and the Government is not offering any support to people like me.

“On average, I’m driving anywhere between 200 to 500 miles per day so the impact on my finances has been tremendous.

“Even with a 5p cut from the Government, I will still struggle to support my wife and kids. 

“I’ve had to seek solutions elsewhere – I’ve started using a digital freight platform which means I get paid for jobs within 48 hours.”

He said without his action to change his payment methods, his family wouldn’t have been able to make it to the end of the month.

Mr Mansaray continued, saying: “Before I started doing business with Zeus Labs, I was waiting 60 to 90 days for payments.

“That’s simply too long when your margin is so small. Now, I can take on extra work when things are tight and reap the rewards quickly.

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“The faster payments have been a complete game changer for me. With the cost of living so high, I wouldn’t be able to continue doing the work I do without these.

“There’s already such a shortage of HGV drivers like me – and it’s no surprise that younger generations don’t want to do this kind of work.

“It’s mind-blowing to me that a job so essential – transporting goods across the country to fill your supermarket shelves and pharmacies – is so unappreciated.”

According to RAC Fuel Watch, a litre of petrol now costs 164.59p per litre, while diesel drivers face costs of 178.13p a litre.

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