Roger King, chief executive of the Road Haulage Association (RHA), told the Radio 4 Today programme that the plight of UK hauliers has reached a critical state as fuel prices continue to escalate.

He was speaking from the Commercial Vehicle Show, and said: "At today's rate of $113 a barrel, once this has fed through to diesel prices, the industry has a real problem. The speed and magnitude of the price rise is jeopardising the industry's profitability as haulage rates fail to match costs.

“The Prime Minister has called for economic stability and we support that,” added King. “So we are calling for help in stabilising fuel prices for road transport. That means setting a barrel rate and any price rise above that should be offset by a duty rebate.

“The industry needs this help to enable haulage rates to catch up with cost.”