More SA servos to run out of fuel over weekend
More SA servos to run out of fuel over weekend
South Australian motorists are likely to see more service stations run out of fuel over the weekend, but are being told to expect things to return to normal by Monday.
The fuel shortage is a result of a safety crackdown on haulage giant Cootes after two people were killed in a fiery crash involving one of its trucks in Sydney last week.
Shell and Coles Express outlets have been hardest hit by the crackdown because they are supplied by the company exclusively.
Cootes is refusing to say how many of its trucks are back on the road, but said the situation should return to normal by Monday morning.
While some service stations began running out of fuel yesterday, more have sprung up around the state today, with many others are expecting to run out soon.
The RAA said on Friday afternoon about one in ten service stations it had surveyed had run out of a type of fuel.
“The impact has mainly been inconvenience, some motorists have had to shop around a bit more to find fuel,” Chris West from the RAA said.
The group has also accused major service station of jacking up fuel prices as the supply disruptions continue.
“We would hate to think the industry is trying to take advantage of the situation,” Mr West said.
But the Motor Trade Association said the fuel shortage is easing among its members.
“Service stations which were out for around six hours over the last few days that have been reduced to around four hours without fuel,” Liam Hunt from the MTA said.
Independent retailers - who use other transport companies to supply their fuel - continue to revel in the shortage, reporting between 30 and 40 per cent more customers than usual.
