Lorry, crane operators up rates by as much as 45%

Sunday June 8, 2008 THE STAR

KUALA LUMPUR: The impact of the fuel price rise is starting to affect consumers, with transport and crane operators now increasing their rates by between 29% and 45%.
Sabah Federation of Lorry Transportation Associations president Chua Pui Ming said its members had increased rates by 45% since June 5.
Under the new rates, traders who used to fork out RM600 to send a shipment of goods overland from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan now have to pay RM870.
Stating that the federation's 3,000 members had no choice but to increase rates, Chua said the fuel subsidies that some of them received through the fleet card system was minimal.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Association of Tipper Lorry Owners of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur said they would increase their rates by 40% with immediate effect.
President Lee Keen Seng said the increase was in the rate for transporting goods by tipper lorries.

In BUTTERWORTH, Mobile Crane Association North Malaya president Lee Tuck Woh said the association had decided to increase mobile crane charges in four states by RM100, effective Friday.
“It is not just the price of diesel that has gone up. The cost of steel cable wires, tyres, batteries and spare parts have also increased in the past few months,” said Lee.
The RM100 increase is for seven types of cranes, ranging from seven to 60-tonne and sky-lift equipment.
Lee said they used to charge RM350 per day for a seven-tonne crane.
He added that rental for 20m to 24m sky-lift equipment would now cost RM500 per day compared to RM400 previously.
Although the new charges would affect the construction and industrial sectors and haulage industry, he said they had no choice in the matter.
The association represents 60 members from Perlis, Kedah, Penang and Perak, who operate about 600 mobile cranes.