Midlands hauliers have called for a change in the tax system to prevent soaring diesel prices crippling the industry.
Businesses are facing the highest monthly leap in diesel prices for more than a decade, with oil prices quadrupling in the last seven years, and rising by 25 per cent in 2008 alone.
One Smethwick haulier said increasing fuel prices had added the equivalent of more than quarter if a million pounds a year onto the balance sheet since January alone.
And he said estimates for fuel costs, previously calculated yearly, now had to be done on a job-by-job basis as prices were changing so quickly.
Paul Hampson, director of Hampson Haulage, said the cost of a tank of petrol for a lorry had gone up by £100 since the start of the year.
This would translate into an extra £256,000 a year for his fleet of 16 lorries.
"The main problem is that prices are going up so quickly that figures you produce are pretty much out of date within a few days," said Mr Hampson.
"We’ve seen rises of about 3p per week, and that really is having a knock-on effect across the business.
"And of course these spiralling costs have a knock on effect on the consumer.
"The only potential solution is for the Government to do something to ease the burden."
Road users have had to endure the highest month-on-month increase in the price of diesel this decade, the AA said.
Between mid-April and mid-May, the average price of diesel rose 6.76p to 124.17p a litre.
Pressure groups have been calling for the Government to use the windfall from increased fuel VAT takings to help out under-pressure industries.
The RAC Foundation charity said the Government could intervene and use flexible fuel tax to smooth out the effects of varying crude oil prices.
And it was joined by the haulage action group Transaction, which will be leading a protest in central London next week.
A delegation of hauliers will hand in a letter to 10 Downing Street demanding the immediate introduction of an essential user rebate which would allow heavy goods vehicle to claim some of the fuel duty back.
John Howells, Midlands manager of the Road Haulage Association, agreed, saying it was vital the Government acted to stabilise fuel prices as they hit record new levels.
Oil prices hit a new high on Wednesday, breaking the $130 a barrel mark for the first time.
Strong demand from developing countries such as China and a weak US dollar have helped to push up prices.
And demand for oil has also been affected by international unrest, which has sparked concern among investors.
In April BP and Shell sparked anger when they announced profits of more than £3 million per hour, while motorists faced average unleaded prices approaching £5 a gallon.
The oil firms themselves said most of the profit came from the exploration and production side of their business, rather than on petrol station forecourts.
The 1,000 road haulage firms in the West Midlands have felt the full force of the oil price rises.
And as hauliers suffering from the increase in fuel prices, private motorists were in for a pricey bank holiday getaway.
The AA said the fuel price hikes meant the nation’s drivers were likely to have to pay £110 million more for journeys this weekend than a year ago.
And one Midlander said the cost of petrol had put them off travelling completely this holiday.
Azeem Ahmad, a student at BCU, said: "I was thinking of going to London over the weekend to see some family that I haven’t met for a while, but have been put off by what can only be described as disgusting rise in petrol prices.
"The cost of running a small sized car is now costing more and more each week and pretty soon most students won’t be able to fund themselves through university and maintain transport."
