'It's an ongoing battle': Fuel price rise poses threat to Orange transport businesses

So with the fuel excise return set to immediately add 25.3 cents per litre on Friday (September 30), businesses are nervously watching the bowser.

Orange-based courier Grants Express are one such operator, with boss Todd Ostini explaining how rising costs were putting additional stress on the company.

"It's always been serious, the last 12 months have been serious," he said.

While the diesel fuel rebate will help ease the pain of the fuel excise's return, Mr Ostini said increases across the board were pushing business like his to the limit.

"With the transport industry we have the diesel fuel rebate which is about 17.8 cent," he said.

"In effect it only went down 4.3 instead of the 22.1 everyone else got. It's not going to have a huge effect but looking at where fuel prices have gone in the last 12 months, it's been a huge cost on us.

"It's an ongoing battle trying to manage it. You try to reduce costs elsewhere but wages are going up, my average wages have gone up eight dollars an hour, 10 dollars an hour.

"If we want to stay in the business we have to keep putting prices up unfortunately."

Grants provide deliveries across the Central West as well as interstate however working with the national network to compete with major carriers has also become dearer.

"With the fuel prices the way they are, a lot of guys use a fuel levy on top of charges," he explained.

"The guys we use interstate, they used to charge a 12-15 per cent fuel levy and some of them have gone up to 39 per cent.

"We just have to keep passing it on as much as reasonably possible."

Fellow Orange business Rogieras Transport told the Central Western Daily back in March that fuel prices had already put a strain on the business and that the fuel excise was a temporary solution.

Back then diesel was sitting at 219 cents per litre, according to the Australian Institute of Petroleum that figure is now at 204.4, just before the excise returns.

Despite the looming price rise at petrol stations, regional areas like the Central West could benefit for a while longer than city counterparts.

Peter Khoury from the NRMA said price hikes would be delayed depending on location and that it would be "possibly even longer - up to two weeks - in regional areas."

Meanwhile the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) have announced they are monitoring prices at the bowser with average fluctuations for fuel typically varying between 20 and 40 cents per litre.

"We expect that there will be no uncharacteristic or abnormal retail price increases in the days leading up to, on the day of, or after the reintroduction of the full rate of fuel excise," their statement read.

"Following the excise reintroduction, the ACCC will be monitoring wholesale and retail prices closely and will not hesitate to take action where there is evidence of misleading or deceptive conduct, misrepresentation about the excise increase and retail prices, and anti-competitive behaviour (such as price collusion)."