Skyrocketing gas prices, especially for diesel, are doing a number on the trucking industry
NEW YORK -- Drivers are paying more for gas as prices jumped 20 cents across the country in the past two weeks, according to AAA.
In New York, the average price for a gallon of regular gas is $4.51. In New Jersey, it's $4.47. In Connecticut, it's $4.32.
As CBS2's Tony Aiello reported Monday, drivers in Westchester County are paying even more.
Residents are worried about the prices at the pump. AAA says the $4.71 per-gallon average in the northern suburbs is the highest on record in New York.
"It's hard on a lot of people that I know and if you don't have the extra money to pay for it, it could be a real hardship," one driver said.
It's bad enough gassing up one or two vehicles. Imagine fueling 40 of them. The Yost & Campbell fleet of trucks burns through 800 gallons of gas a week.
"We're concerned, very concerned about the gas prices rising these days," Yost & Campbell Heating and Cooling president Tom Monahan said.
Monahan said dispatchers are coordinating with crews to minimize the miles they drive, but with fuel costs up 50 percent in a year he has major concerns.
"I don't want it to affect our service to our customers. Unfortunately, a fuel surcharge might be necessary in the near future," Monahan said.
He's just glad most of his fleet runs on gasoline, because diesel prices are even more eye-popping.
In the Northeast, a gallon of diesel fuel has doubled, averaging $6.10 on Monday versus $3.05 a year ago.
CBS2's Boston affiliate spoke to one trucker whose rig holds 250 gallons of fuel.
"I put $1,000 into it and didn't fill it up," the trucker said.
Fuel for trucks is particularly expensive here in the Northeast, where diesel supplies are near an all-time low.
The region's largest refinery, in Philadelphia, was destroyed in a fire in 2019 and will not reopen.
Petroleum analyst Patrick de Haan says to brace for the impact of high diesel prices.
"Semi-trucks power the economy here. They deliver goods every day. All of these deliveries are fueled by diesel. This has yet to really be passed along to the end consumers buying goods at the grocery store, hardware store, etc.," de Haan said.
No wonder some truckers are putting a padlock on the fuel tank.