Eighteen sub-contract hauliers working for Roadstone Wood Ltd, in Kerry, have withdrawn their services in a dispute over haulage rates and their action may have national implications.

Publicans have warned the 10 cent increase in the cost of a pint of beer and measure of spirits will put up to 2,000 jobs at risk in the drinks sector this year.

The president of the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) has called on the State to enforce the law against some foreign hauliers who are operating illegally in Ireland.

The Irish Road Hauliers Association has welcomed the hard-won fuel rebate after months of lobbying and presenting the Government with studies showing that the move would be tax neutral.

The surge in fuel prices which saw the average cost of a litre of diesel top €1.60 is likely to represent a tipping point for many road users, especially in the haulage industry.

Sacked haulage firm workers are staging a sit-in after one of the country’s largest companies stopped trading with the loss of nearly 400 jobs.

Sacked haulage firm workers are staging a sit-in after one of the country’s largest companies ceased trading with the loss of nearly 400 jobs.

The Irish Road Haulage Association is relatively confident it can secure a fuel tax rebate from the Department of Finance in order to combat the use of illegal fuel and inflation.

The Government earned over €2 billion last year in excise duty on fuel alone, accounting for nearly 30% of all of the money spent on fuel in Ireland last year.

ROAD hauliers are being “pushed to the brink” because of the rising cost of motor fuel, according to the Irish Road Haulage Association.

THE exchequer is losing €200 million in potential revenue each year due to the Government’s reluctance to introduce a fuel tax rebate scheme for hauliers.

Road hauliers have today called on the Government to meet them half-way in the Budget by tackling the problem of fuel costs and illegal fuel sale.

FARMERS and road haulage firms are making opposing calls to Government on how to regulate the agricultural diesel market.

“IF you don’t remember anything about today, try and remember my son’s picture. Nobody is smiling in it,” a road traffic victim told a conference on the Human Impact of Road Collisions yesterday.