Dave Hands, Managing Director at LTS Global Solutions shares how the fuel price crisis has exposed haulers’ vulnerability to organised fuel theft.
Having worked in the industry my whole life, tackling the challenges of fuel theft has been an unfortunate byproduct of running a fleet.
However, what we are dealing with today is even more challenging and goes beyond the occasional theft of the past. It has become more organised, more frequent, and, in the current climate, far more damaging.
The sharp increase in diesel prices seen in recent months due to the conflict in Iran has become hugely problematic for the industry as a whole. Several operators have gone out of business as a direct result. However, this has also given licence to criminal groups to exploit the situation further.
While prices at forecourts are now coming down, the crisis shines a spotlight on a larger issue which has been overlooked. Its issue is that many operators are exposed when it comes to protecting their fuel, most notably when prices spike.
Since April, my own fleet has been hit by diesel theft on three separate occasions across the UK. On its own that number might not sound overly significant until you understand what it means on the ground. A single incident can actually completely wipe out a week’s profit on a vehicle.
For small and medium-sized operators especially, that’s not just a setback. It is the difference between a job being viable or effectively running at a loss. The frustrating part is there’s very little you can do once it’s happened.
Organised criminals are targeting hauliers
This is not just opportunistic siphoning from an unlocked tank. These are coordinated attacks. Thieves are targeting HGVs because they carry large volumes of fuel, often striking at service stations or laybys in the dead of night while drivers are asleep in their cabs.
Organised groups are clearly identifying HGVs as high-value, low-resistance targets and hauliers are at the frontlines of this attack. They know exactly what they’re looking for. They know that in many cases they can get away before the driver even realises the fuel has been taken.
There’s also the impact on drivers to consider. For many drivers, their vehicle is their responsibility and they take a huge amount of pride in looking after it. The last thing they want to deal with is discovering that fuel has been stolen. It just adds another layer of pressure to an already demanding job.
Unfortunately, operators are limited as to what they can do alone to prevent these crimes.
Security and anti-siphoning measures of course can help, but they’re not enough. Even basic deterrents such as locking fuel caps are no longer effective as criminals will simply cut into or drill the tank itself. What then starts as a theft of diesel can easily turn into a £3,000–£4,000 repair bill.
At one point, average diesel prices were more than 182p per litre and motorway service areas were pushing almost 200p. At that level of cost, fuel becomes an increasingly attractive target for criminals for resale.
Combine that with already tight margins, it doesn’t take much for these incidents to cause a serious issue for hauliers. With prices still remaining way above the norm, that problem isn’t going to go away overnight and is still rife across the country.
Time for government action
As such, I’d urge the UK government to take this seriously. The issue should be brought into Parliament for discussion on what measures can be taken to deter these crimes from happening.
There are a few uncomfortable questions that need answering. For example, whether current sentences actually go far enough, whether enforcement is properly resourced, and whether hauliers are genuinely being protected from what is, in reality, large-scale organised theft.
We ultimately need to be honest about the direction this is heading in. Without decisive action, it will continue to erode already fragile margins, push more operators to the brink, and add yet another layer of pressure to a sector that is fundamental to keeping the UK economy moving.
