As I sit here in the Permian Basin, our company can't ship an unprecedented amount of crude for lack of truck drivers.
The "speculators" are hedging current prices into the future. They don't cause or desire rising prices.
I have 2 cousins who have been independent truckers for many years who recently hung it up. One of them was in tears because he loved the life, loved being his own boss and seeing so much of the country. The cost of permits, regulations on interstate transport and the cost of diesel drove them out. If this is happening close to me, I'm sure it's happening across the country.