The majority of British truckers say they want to leave the European Union amid growing frustrations regarding cheap labour from abroad, according to the latest poll by their trade body.

The survey carried out by the Road Haulage Association showed that 61% of its members are behind a Brexit due to their increasing frustration at cheap foreign labour and red tape from Brussels.

Just 30% of the association’s members want Britain to remain in the EU, despite 80% of all UK freight moving via the roads. This includes goods imported from Europe.

Members of the RHA, who work in an industry worth around £74 billion have said that the EU has helped foreign haulers to compete unfairly in the market and ‘increased the regulatory burden’.

Among the chief complaints of truckers are foreign haulers filling their vehicles up with cheaper diesel on the continent to make sure they save money by not paying the high fuel duty of the UK.

Members say that foreign haulers then cross the Channel and undercut their UK competition.

They also claim that trucking firms on the continent are able to hire labour at a much cheaper rate, thus giving them an edge over their competitors.

The RHA’s poll also found that there is a clear difference between small sized firms and those of a medium size that have 65 vehicles compares with the bigger firms.

Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) account for the majority of British jobs and within that group of companies, some 62% said they want to quit the EU, whereas 80% of the larger organisations said they would rather remain.

The RHA itself, which represents 7,000 companies that run 100,000 lorries, says that it holds a neutral position on the EU referendum.

However, Richard Burnett, President of the RHA, said that these numbers show a divide in opinion between SMEs and large haulage companies.