CCTV shows a ute leaving the Killarney depot. Image: Lane Transport
As transport businesses are forced to navigate surging fuel costs, one operator had a rude awakening yesterday, when he learned that one of his trucks had its diesel bled dry while parked in his yard.
The incident occurred on Monday March 9 at around 3am. Video footage captured at the depot shows a ute driven by the alleged thief arriving and leaving the site.
Owner and Director of Lane Transport, Noel Lane, said he is extremely disappointed about what happened at his Killarney yard, in Victoria’s south-west. “Police are investigating. They had forensics out here this morning,” he told Big Rigs.
Lane started his business in 1989 and currently runs a fleet of around 45 trucks. “We do about 60 per cent Melbourne to Adelaide and the rest along the east coast,” he said. “Diesel is one of our biggest costs. In the last week, our diesel has gone up by about 39 per cent. It’s around $2.14 a litre compared to what we were previously paying, which was about the $1.54-$1.55 mark.
“Fuel costs are a major concern and it’s something we have to pass on. We usually run with our fuel levies based on the previous month – and when fuel goes up by 10-15 cents you can pick it up the following month. But now we don’t even know what’s going to be happening next week. It’s the unknown.
“The price of diesel is a big worry at the moment for transport businesses. We’re in a small regional area, and for something like this to happen, it’s not good.
“Everyone would be having conversations with their customers to get their rates up, because we have to make sure we remain viable.”
Though he added, “The panic buying of fuel doesn’t help either.”
Lane fears that we may start to see more fuel thefts like this in the current climate, where there is so much uncertainty.
“With fuel prices continuing to rise, incidents like this are becoming more common and it’s incredibly disappointing to see it happening in our local community.”
Following yesterday’s incident, Lane has put additional measures in place to help prevent the same from happening again.
“We also want to make others aware so you can take extra care with your vehicles, machinery and fuel storage,” he warned.
“If you live locally or run a business nearby, it might be worth checking security cameras, parking vehicles in well-lit areas, and considering extra security measures where possible.”
