GW transporter: Fuel price increases affect negotiations with clients

The acquisition price of fuel accounts for around 40-50% of the cost of transporting goods, according to Viorel Leca, general manager of Gebruder Weiss Romania. Gebr?der Weiss is the largest Austrian transporter of goods and provider of logistic services with turnover worth 10.3 million euros on the Romanian market in 2007. The increases are reflected in the fees paid by clients. More often than not, the clients are taken by surprise by the transport fee rises. “The increase in the price of fuels makes negotiations with clients difficult. According to our calculations, the price has increased by around 30% from last autumn until the present. “No company has budgeted such a high increase,” said Leca, adding that lately, personnel-related costs are also increasing the share they hold in the overall costs. Internationally, another factor pushing costs up is the increase in motorway taxes. In the coming two years, the Austrian company expects a 20-25% increase in turnover, prompted by an expansion of its client portfolio and the completion of logistical centres in Bucharest, Arad, Sibiu and other big cities.