The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has welcomed the Chancellor’s pledge to set fuel duty rates for threes years in his Budget statement.

The Chancellor will defer an increase in fuel duty on diesel until October 2007, and then increase fuel duty by 2p per litre in 2008 and by 1.8p per litre in 2009 - in line with inflation.

Setting these rates for three years will help the transport industry to budget for future operational costs, according to the FTA, bearing in mind that fuel represents 30 per cent of lorry operating costs.

The FTA has also backed the Chancellor's announcement that he will be tripling the funding for the enforcement of regulations designed to reduce offences by foreign lorries working in the UK, which was a key demand by the Haulage Industry Task Group, formed last year to consider the impact of foreign haulage competition on the UK domestic industry.

FTA external affairs director Geoff Dossetter said: “One in seven of the heaviest vehicles on UK roads now come from overseas. Regrettably the operational safety record of many of these vehicles gives cause for concern in terms of their roadworthiness, overloading and the hours worked by their drivers.

“Additional funding for enforcement will obviously help contain or even reduce this problem. However, FTA continues to call for the establishment of a scheme which would register details of foreign vehicles working in the UK and also make a charge on their so doing.”