Yes, I know. We're now paying out 3/4 of our settlements to fuel. And they're really slow about raising the fuel surcharges. And have to put so much out to pick up our newer truck for fuel, we're still in the red. We had to fuel up our FL to drive it to MO from MN and then fuel up to bring the KW back to MN. We were'nt allowed to haul anything because we didn't have the new reg. numbers on the KW and there were no loads going to MO to haul with the FL. He had to deadhead all the way.

I think it's time for me to go to the food shelf.

Susie

We have many in our family who were owner/opper~ and they are all changing over to company drivers due to the fuel prices, and repair costs.. it doesnt pay at all to be an owner/Op anymore
Best wishes to you & yours during these hard times.
One of my family members is doing well w/ a company called Dart.

Most trucking companies are not hiring due to the high fuel and upkeep costs. They're downsizing their fleets. We just purchased a used 2005 truck and hardly got anything for our old 2000 truck. Most drivers (O/O) are "walking away" from their trucks, they can't afford the payments and the fuel at the same time.

Wish that there were some answers here. Until then, the high cost of fuel is costing everyone. It costs more to get those products to the stores and the cost is being passed on to the consumer. We're not only paying more for the fuel, we're paying at the stores too.

Susie

Our settlements too are going to fuel. We are in the auto transport biz, enclosed trailer and its real hard to get a decent load anymore. I'm sure it wouldn't pay to become a company driver either, no one is hiring. With our biz a fuel surcharge really isn't an option either. Oh well hopefully things get better!

Unfortunately, I believe there will be no reprieve for most people regarding gas pump gouging. Greed escalates exponentially until it is challenged by alternative solutions.

Perhaps by investigating other modes or means of transportation will prove beneficial not merely for the short-term.

At the risk of endangering my life at the inept hands of 4-wheeled vehicle motorists I will likely purchase and drive a motorcycle out of economic necessity and need.

Mass transit, car-pooling, biking, and other solutions are yet viable though they would require a significant paradigm shift in transportation as well as mindset by commuters.

Hi CIndy50, Have you and your husband thought about taking the bus for transportation? I just take the bus places because it's a lot cheaper. Dawn

CAT that means they TRUCK for a living, kinda hard to take your loads on the bus

I can't believe that your talking about "taking a bus". Cindy and I are in the "Trucking Business". And the price of fuel for trucks (semi's) is about .60 cents more a gallan then regular gas.

Susie

We should take action by contacting your Congressional Repersentatives. Encourage more drilling and releasing bans on all options, including the return to building more refineries. Maybe this will take a bit to actually accomplish, but just the news of these things will most likely bring fuel prices back down, as it is the speculators that are keeping prices so high. I am all for protecting the environment, but all the laws are hurting the economy. There is room to accomplish both.

Dee

Yep that will help for sure, we would already be pumping a million barrels a day from ANWR had slick willie not vetoed that legislation back in 95. Just so you know a million barrels a day is what we import from saudi, and with domestic production down 19 percent foreign imports are UP 42 %, Go figure

Sorry guys, but their now saying that there's plenty of oil, no shortages. The price is being driven by the stock speculators. The high prices drive up the oil stocks. We need to STOP buying all together. Take the profit out of buying oil stocks. I don't think drilling for more is going to help when we already don't have a shortage.

Susie

I heard this on the radio, I don't understand all this stuff myself but here's what they said:

Speculators are buying based on the knowledge that americans will keep buying gas no matter what the price. If they knew that we were drilling for american oil, the speculators would be less willing to bid up the price.

I really feel for you guys that are truckers. I can only hope that since so many indies and small companies are going out of business, that you guys that survive will be on the positive side of the competition - as in shippers will be competing for truckers and your prices will be able to rise.

In the meantime I know some truckers are parking their trucks and taking other jobs - you can't transport a load for less that it costs you to do it. It's just not right.

my prayers are with you.

Jo

Susie,

I think it would be wise for you to do a little research on what speculators do and don't do. I am no expert but been reading up on this as of lately because so many people ask me about it. The market will not sustain this price, it comes back to consumption, if we don't change our habits it will continue to drive the price up. Report just out this morning is there could be some shortages. And it's not all about driving either. Roughly only HALF of a barrel of oil goes for gasoline and diesel.

People really need to educate themselves, we need to be drilling in the US more and we need to stop putting up so damn many ethanol plants and build a few new refineries.

Dee, I totally agree with you!!!

Very true Medic - we have plenty of oil we just need to access it - the shortage comes on the processing side of it - we need more refineries - that does not mean we do not need to look for other sources of sustainable energy - just means we need to allow for more refineries and recovery of the resources God has placed at our disposal. (Hmmmm maybe thats why the warming is occuring?) In this mornings paper an article about an enviromental group opposing the recovery of shale oil in WY/CO. INDIE Truckers and small truck operations are between a rock and a hard place right now and my heart goes out to them all. We need to change how the government is working. It needs to get back to For the PEOPLE BY THE People.