Mumbai: Truck operators are deeply troubled by the 23 consecutive day hike in diesel prices. He says that the daily increase in oil prices is making it difficult for him to do business and if this is the case, he will be forced to increase the truck fare by 20 per cent. If this happens, then the difficulties of common people facing the inflation in the Corona period will increase further. This is because inflation will have a direct impact on the cost of freight.
Transporters demand that oil prices should rise on a monthly or quarterly basis. Fuel accounts for 65 per cent of the operating cost of the truck. Toll charges account for about 20 per cent of this. Bal Malkit Singh, former chairman of the All India Motors Transport Congress (AIMTC) and chairman of the core committee, said, ‘Already the demand is very low and around 55 per cent of the trucks have no work. In such a situation it has become difficult for us to do business. Due to repeated lockdown due to covid-19, the condition of road transport sector has gone down.
He said, “To save their business, the truck operators will have to increase freight soon. We have no means other than to pass the burden on inflation to consumers. We cannot bear loss for a long time. To run the business, freight must increase by 20 per cent. Singh said that the entire system is affected by fuel prices and the daily increase in the price of diesel is making it difficult for truck operators to remove running costs. Due to diesel being expensive, the losses have increased a lot and resulted in a 20 to 25 per cent reduction in operating costs.
