A spike in Victorian petrol prices is unrelated to the grounding of trucking company Cootes' fuel fleet, the RACV says.
Petrol prices rose from about $1.46 per litre last Wednesday to $1.60 on Friday and Saturday but RACV general manager public policy Brian Negus said the price hike is part of the normal fuel cycle.
"The recent fuel price spike was expected as part of the fuel price cycle and prices began to move up last week before the Cootes safety issue emerged," Mr Negus said on Tuesday.
"Early analysis indicates that although fuel prices are now falling this has not occurred as quickly as expected but cannot be directly attributed to the Cootes issue."
The RACV said no retailers are suspected of exploiting the situation as petrol continues to hover around $1.55 per litre.
Cootes Transport agreed to ground its fuel and LPG fleets voluntarily last Friday after VicRoads found defects in brakes, shockers and air bags and loose bolts and oil leaks.
During Friday's inspections VicRoads officers checked 32 trucks and trailers and found major defects in 25.
VicRoads acting chief executive Peter Todd said Cootes will face increased scrutiny of its maintenance program in the future.
"The defects VicRoads are finding are consistent with everyday wear and tear for vehicles that travel up to 20,000 kilometres every month," Mr Todd said.
VicRoads cleared 20 LPG and 10 fuel trucks to return to the road by Tuesday morning and it said the numbers would increase over coming days.
No fuel shortages have been reported in Victoria but VicRoads urged motorists not to panic buy petrol.
Cootes Transport is one of a number of companies which deliver petrol to stations, and the impact on petrol supplies is expected to be minimal, Mr Todd said.
