Diesel prices at hundreds of Scottish forecourts have now exceeded £2 a litre, according to an analysis by BBC Scotland News. The study found at least 226 sites - from the Borders all the way to Shetland - where a litre of diesel costs more than two quid. Because nothing says "cost of living crisis" quite like paying premium prices to fuel the vehicles that deliver your groceries.
Island and rural areas are feeling the pinch hardest, with prices hitting 238.8p and 223p in the Hebrides, and 209.0p and 208.9p in the Northern Isles. That's a full 50p a litre more than what supermarkets in the central belt are charging, which is one way to make a trip to the mainland feel like a luxury getaway.
Hauliers, as you might expect, are not thrilled. Norman MacAskill, a South Uist-based haulier, remembers when it cost 32p a litre to fill a lorry's tank 40 years ago. Now it's £2.22. "Anyone who is running a lorry is absolutely devastated when they get their fuel bill at the end of the month," he said. "There's no business on earth that can withstand that increase in costs." His firm, N D MacAskill & Son, transports livestock around Inverness, Dingwall, and Stirling, and also does runs from the north of Scotland down to the north of England. "It's a devastating cost on a fuel run on that job," he added, presumably while staring into the middle distance.
MacAskill noted that this has been going on for a decade. "The cost of running a haulage business has just gone over the top," he said. "There are dozens of haulage firms that have been established 50-60 years with big numbers of lorries going to the wall. When is this going to stop?" A question that philosophers, economists, and anyone with a fuel tank have been asking for some time now.
Dave Neil, who runs Sinclair Haulage in Orkney, said his business is spending £400 a week more on diesel than it was before the summer. He's added an extra fee for customers, which he described as "probably the fairest way." "When the fuel price drops we can take that surcharge away," he said, optimistically.
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) estimates fuel is costing operators roughly £250 extra per vehicle per week. It's calling on the UK government to scrap planned fuel duty rises in January, March, and April, and to introduce an essential user rebate for coaches, lorries, and vans. Managing director Richard Smith pointed out that Spain, France, and Italy already give commercial vehicle operators a diesel rebate. "It's about time we caught up," he said, presumably while eyeing the continent with envy.
NFU Scotland said rising prices are another unwelcome cost for farmers and crofters. A spokesperson noted that fuel is a significant input cost and increases feed directly into the cost of producing food. "With many farmers currently working through harvest and other intensive autumn operations, there is no scope to reduce fuel use," they said. So, no, farmers can't just carpool the combine harvester.
Crofter and musician Amy Henderson, from Kiltarlity, called the situation "just deflating." She's now making "logistical decisions" about whether to use her car or truck, and factoring fuel costs into her performance quotes. "Life is hard enough as it is," she said, which is the unofficial slogan of 2023.
Inverness-based charity New Start Highland uses vans to collect and deliver donated furniture to people in need. Chief executive James Dunbar said rising fuel prices have a direct impact on the charity and the individuals it supports. "Transport is core to our operations," he said, noting that they're moving to a fully electrified fleet but that rising costs still affect the families they help. Because nothing says "essential service" like a fuel bill that rivals a mortgage payment.
The RAC said the average UK price of diesel is "teetering on the brink" of a new all-time high at 198.32p, taking the cost of a 55-litre fill-up for a family car to £109. Head of policy Simon Williams noted that the UK now has the most expensive diesel in Europe by 12p a litre, ahead of Finland and the Netherlands. Petrol is averaging 173.6p - its highest in more than four years - and has risen nearly 12p in September and more than 40p since the Iran war began. Diesel is up 14.5p this month alone and 55p since 28 February. So, basically, if you drive anything with an engine, congratulations on your new hobby: watching numbers go up.
The AA said its campaigning persuaded the UK government to set up pump-price transparency, with websites and apps to help drivers find cheaper fuel. It also argued against scrapping the Treasury's 5p cut in fuel duty, first introduced in March 2022, and said there's a "good argument" for further diesel relief. A spokesperson noted that while big businesses pass on costs via surcharges, smaller ones - taxi drivers, craftspeople, domestic repair services, vets, farriers - don't automatically. So, if you're a farrier, you're probably just eating the cost.
The UK government said it has extended the temporary fuel duty cut until 31 December. A spokesperson said: "Since the outset of the war in Iran, this government continues to protect the British people and businesses from this crisis. This means drivers benefit from the extension of the 5p fuel duty cut, with diesel 11p per litre cheaper until the end of the year than it would have been compared to plans inherited from the previous government." Which is reassuring, unless you're one of the 226 forecourts charging over £2 and wondering when the cavalry is coming.