JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Diesel hit an all-time high on Wednesday. According to AAA, the national average price for a gallon of diesel is now $4.88.
It’s breaking the record for the most expensive diesel cost -- not adjusting for inflation.
Truck drivers who rely on diesel are spending significantly more now than in past months.
This is especially challenging for owner-operator drivers. These are drivers who own and drive their trucks. There is no company reimbursement -- the money comes straight from their own pockets.
One owner I spoke with says he spends double fueling up each week.
“It’s crazy! When is it going to stop?” Hans Obermeit, a truck driver, said.
Joseph Moffatt, the owner of Moffatt Trucking LLC, said he can’t believe the rise in prices.
Driving this truck is how he survives. Since the price of fuel went up, he went from spending $1,000 a week to $2,000 a week.
“That’s a big difference,” Moffatt said. “I’m losing money. They need to just keep the prices down for the truck drivers.”
We are all feeling it all the pump, but people who use diesel are feeling it a little bit harder. Cheaper diesel prices are still available, but they may be out of the way.
According to GasBuddy, The Mobile & Circle K in Ponte Vedra Beach is listed as the cheapest -- at $3.59. The highest is listed at $3.95 at the BP in Orange Park.
These prices aren’t expected to last though.
“Diesel, the fuel of the economy, semi-trucks, trains, boats is going to soar over $5 a gallon in a week or twos time and that’s certainly going to have a trickledown effect that will be much more far-reaching than gas prices likely to hit $4.50,” Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, said.
Russia’s invasion into Ukraine contributed to these high prices. Right now, there’s no expected date when or if gas prices will return to normal.
The truck drivers we spoke with say they want prices to drop regardless of the Ukraine and Russia invasion. They say these prices are hurting too many businesses in America.