High Diesel Prices Impact Truckers

Most of us don't think about how our food and merchandise reaches its destination, but independent trucker Jessie Smith does.
Jessie Smith, "Small guys that own one to five trucks, it's just definitely hurting us, our profits."
independent truckersMany independent truck drivers say the record high price of diesel fuel might put some of them out of business.  Charles Monroe has been a driver for more than 30 years.
Monroe, "Since I've been driving fuel prices have tripled at least.  It's about $600 to fill this one up if she's empty."
David Blackburn says his boss owns one small truck, but even he's had to cut back as fuel prices increase. Blackburn, "It's $300 per trip for less than five hundred miles.  We used to do it twice a week, but now we do it once a week."
With diesel prices at almost $4 per gallon, many drivers are cutting back or parking their trucks.
Smith, "If they got three or four trucks they're parking them and running just one and doing short hauls.  The rate of the freight is not going up with the fuel prices.  I'm doing mostly short hauls.  They pay a little bit more per load and per mile and that helps with my fuel bill."
Smith says there's more freight in the summertime, so expect to see prices on everything inch even higher.
Smith, "Stuff you buy in the grocery store and at Wal Mart because the more freight you get the more competitive it gets to get drivers, because you have more freight than you have trucks."diesel fuel
Many truck drivers have taken a wait and see attitude.  They expect to see both diesel and unleaded gas prices well over $4 per gallon by summer.