Posted on 03/30/2022 11:42:08 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
Independent trucker Michael Whitaker is getting ready for his next haul of equipment from South Carolina to Arizona. Whitaker has been an owner-operator trucker since 1998. His specialty is hauling industrial machinery like construction and farming equipment.
"The diesel prices. That’s every truck driver's main expense, it's diesel," says Whitaker of the recent rise in diesel prices.
Whitaker says at the beginning of the year it cost $600 or $700 to fill up his truck tank. Now, he's paying about $1,000.
"You notice it into your pocket, oh yes," says the Iowa-based trucker.
The price of diesel has skyrocketed since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war. Diesel averages hit their highest level since 1994 in mid-March.
Whitaker says he used to charge around $5/mile on certain routes. Now he's charging between $7-9 per mile. He also uses a discount fuel card, and app which identifies the most economical stations where he can fill up on his routes.
As of last Monday, the cost of diesel was $1.94 higher than it was a year ago "which is significant," said Spencer.
"For our guys, the majority of truckers will burn between 18,000-20,000 gallons of fuel a year. So looking at those costs, you're talking about $90,000-$105,000 a year just on fuel," he added.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Democraps love their Big Oil bribers. Every time a democrap gets into office energy prices go up.
Democrats are wrecking the country. There is a point where fending for ourselves will kick in. The government is a hindrance to most things, like shooting and trapping pigs and squirrels.
I’m tellin’ ya, one of these days a lot of truckers will simply “park ‘em” for about a month. This could self-organize faster than you think.
Don’t be living in a city high-rise when this happens.
A fine suggestion. It probably would take only a week to make very clear that the true "essential" workers are those who actually do the work.
I recommend a lockdown of government. The politicians and bureaucrats are far less "essential" than any long-haul independent trucker.
-Hillary Clinton
“Just buy an electric big rig.” - Democrats
What concerns me about that is it overlooks large corporate takeovers. Just like more rules on farmers led to large corporations buying up small farmers, the same thing could happen here. The independent truckers will go belly up and bought out. Corporate trucking will work out a bribe and deal with Congress so they can take over.
these fancy pants green globalist Twits missed that parable in the Bible about "whoever rolls a stone may have it roll back upon him"
China, Russia, Iran, India ( all the players getting grifted by G7/USD system ) might just get the last laugh after all
a total collapse of the USD might actually turn out be good for liberty after all (once the dust clears and the idiocracy gets replaced )
but it will be hard to undo all the social justice damage
“..electric big rig”
Batteries the size of your sleeper, wouldn’t that put a strain on electric distribution.
Back in the good old days when diesel was not only cheap, but cost less than half that of gasoline - before the EPA and wacko environmentalists stepped in and did everything in their power to make it more costly, forcing engine manufactures to require cow urea to be a separate cost to make the engines run.
I’m hearing $1 per minute.
Wow.
Inflation is going to be killer, just in time for the November elections.
Pre-Brandon, it was closer to $3/gal cheaper here in Communois.
Even the huge increase in diesel fuel prices doesn’t translate to a 40%-80% increase in hauling rates.
The real culprit here isn’t diesel fuel costs. It’s the excessive regulation and ongoing supply chain disruptions that severely limit the number of miles a driver can cover over the course of a day. Federal regulations allow long-haul drivers to drive up to 11 hours per day. MIT released a report late last year that said long-haul drivers in the U.S. today only drive an average of 6.5 hours in a day.
The industry is pushing up per-mile shipping rates because they have to make up for all the inefficiencies that have been forced on them that limit the miles they can cover in a day.
Ummm, the situations you mention maybe a contributing factor for some, but the fuel costs count for even the short distance drivers. It leaves nothing to take home. I have family in thebusiness.
The guy in the article is charging 40% to 80% more for his services. How do you go bankrupt when you have that kind of pricing power in your market?
Yep. Government long ago purposely made the less-refined diesel more expensive.
Just like the 55mph speed limit.
Just like CAFE standards.
‘Eff em all.
The Great Democrat Reset is working just as planned.
Because the trucking industry is cut throat. Always someone will haul it cheaper. Not as well or on time, but cheaper.
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