A long-term strategy on fuel duty needs to be put in place by the government, a haulage industry group has insisted.
According to the Road Haulage Association (RHA), it is "essential" that an effective plan of action is devised.
Geoff Dunning, chief executive of the body, said the organisation is willing to collaborate with the Treasury to put this together.
This, he stated, would be better than "keeping our fingers crossed for yet another fuel duty freeze".
Concerns over high petrol and diesel fuel prices among both consumer and industry groups led to the Chancellor of the Exchequer backtracking on plans to introduce a 3p per litre hike in fuel duty this month and opting instead to delay it until January 2013.
Speaking in the House of Commons at the end of June, George Osborne said the move will be funded by larger than expected departmental budget savings.
The Chancellor's decision to postpone this month's scheduled fuel duty hike won widespread praise from the business community, with the RHA, the Freight Transport Association, the British Retail Consortium and the CBI among those commending the move.
Nevertheless, Mr Dunning argued that a recent 29 per cent slump in profits at budget airline Ryanair illustrates the need to introduce a proper long-term strategy on fuel taxes.
"This is yet another example of the impact on industry of high fuel prices," he commented.
"It clearly demonstrates that no matter the size of company, the price of fuel has a dramatic effect on the bottom line figure."
Mr Dunning noted that following a period in which oil prices have come down, petrol and diesel costs are starting to creep upwards once again.
He warned that if this trend continues, the consequences for transport operators in the UK could be "catastrophic".
Mr Dunning added that the impact on the wider economy could be equally devastating if steps to curb rising fuel prices are not taken.
