SAN ANTONIO — When the pandemic hit, so many stopped driving and gas prices tumbled. But as the economy ramped back up gas prices rose, as did the need for truck drivers.
When gas prices go up for the average driver it affects our wallet instantly. For truck drivers that isn't as much the case.
When diesel prices go up, the cost for the most is passed down to the consumer, or else the goods like what you look for everyday in the grocery store, just aren't going to get there.
"We still have a living to make. The profit margins might not be as good. But it just affects the way I look at loads, and the way I take loads," said Eric Mesker who says he drives in a 150 mile radius based around Kermit, Texas. For Mesker, the rising prices changes where he drives, a bit.
Mesker told us, "There may be one that pays a little bit more. Like I said, it's a little further and depending on where it is going, I might take the one that pays a little less just because I'm not going to burn as much fuel."
Jim Grundy from Sisu Energy LLC said, "Neither driver pays for it. The owner/operator, it's pulling the freight or the company pays for it, which in turns around and hands that costs off to the consumer. But at the end of the day, none of those things are positive things for the prices of goods they're going to drive."
Let's say the average price for a gallon of diesel is $6.49 in California. Your favorite pinot grigio comes from California. So by the time it gets here, the cost is $15 a bottle.
If the price for a gallon of diesel in the Golden State goes up to $10.00 a gallon, the truckers don't absorb the cost, you do. That bottle of wine is now going to jump to $25 a bottle!
That's not the only thing that is jumping, but also the money drivers can rake in.
In January of 2021 those who owned and operated their own trucks were making around $15,000 dollars a week because there was such a high need for truck drivers. Now, a year later, as the economy is coming back online, the need for truck drivers is even higher, with many pulling in as much as $25,000 dollars a week.
"And what that's what that's a sign of? The pricing has gone up that high," Grundy said. "These companies are trying to come back on line as we turn the economy back on, and they're trying to catch up the production of oil and gasoline and natural gas."
If you're a consumer, you'll just have to deal with the prices at the store. But, if you're a truck driver looking for work or a seasoned driver looking for work Sisu Energy says take a look at their website.