'It's killing everything.' California's truckers are buckling under country's priciest diesel
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Record diesel prices are crushing California’s truckers, forcing them to adjust to avoid losses as they grapple with the most expensive pump prices in the country.Greg Dubuque’s 40 drivers are in a constant diesel-devouring loop.
Their big rigs pick up loads of electronics, office furniture and other goods around Los Angeles.They drive close to 1,000 miles through the Mojave Desert and over the Rocky Mountains to Denver.
They bring back containers full of everything from pinto beans to home remodeling products.One tank of gas for his vehicles cost $600 a couple of months ago.Today it costs $1,000.
That’s a record high and more than 35% above the country’s average.“California sets itself apart from the rest of the country when it comes to pricing,” said Dubuque, a third-generation trucker and general manager of Liberty Linehaul West.
“Now it’s really out of control.” Business The sharp rise in gas and diesel prices due to the Iran war is quickly rippling through the world’s fourth-largest economy.The average price of a gallon of diesel in California got close to $7.75 this week, up 50% from a month ago, according to the American Automobile Assn.The national average of diesel is closer to $5.65 at recent peaks.
The trucking industry was already reeling from a prolonged freight recession, a crackdown on immigrant drivers, and the adverse impacts of tariffs, all of which contributed to a significant increase in bankruptcy filings in the industry.Now, the price shock from the war with Iran has become yet another headache for the beleaguered industry that hauls 70% of all freight in America.“It’s got a tremendous impact on the industry,” said Eric Sauer, the chief executive of California Trucking Assn.
And it is not just truckers being affected.The rising prices of ground and air transportation will eventually be paid for by consumers.
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