FORT PIERCE, Fla. — President Joe Biden warned that Americans should brace for gas prices following sanctions against Russian energy.
Nationwide and in Florida, drivers behind the wheel of small cars to big rigs are feeling the pinch. But truckers stand to feel some of the worst pain at the pump for months.
Tuesday, truck driver Dustin Hughes filled up his 200-gallon tractor-trailer at the Love’s Truck Stop in Fort Pierce.
Diesel fuel was $5.58 per gallon.
“It makes me cringe," Hughes said.
The price was so high, he said, he couldn’t fill up completely.
“With the company fuel card, the pump shuts off at $1000 and I didn’t fill my truck up,” Hughes said.
GasBuddy reports rates nationwide are at all record high with an average of $4.20 per gallon and rising.
Diesel fuel costs are also nearing records at an average of $4.63 per gallon.
“With what I’ve done today, just a year ago I could have filled the truck up for $600. I put $1000 in and didn’t fill it up,” Hughes said.
That is why Hughes will keep driving for a company that pays fuel costs. He has a personal truck, too, but will be keeping that parked.
“The truck owners are going through a major hit if they can’t find freight to offset the price of fuel,” Hughes said.
The fuel costs will not only impact him behind the wheel but also off the clock.
“What people don’t understand is when the fuel goes up, the price of the freight goes up, therefore the price at the stores goes up,” Hughes said. “Everything that gets delivered to a store that people buy, consumer goods get delivered in a truck. Without the truck, nothing gets delivered,” Hughes said.
Gasbuddy said the pain at the pump won’t last days or weeks, but likely months.
According to GasBuddy's Head of Petroleum Analysis Patrick De Haan, there is little good news.
“The pace of increases will probably start to slow down, but the increases will continue, De Haan said.
He is urging drivers to conserve their fuel.
“Try to drive more fuel efficiently. The more of us that can band together and do that, the more we can reduce our consumption and the faster we can bring prices back down.”