Updated May 7, 2021
A tidal wave of demand could be headed to a trucking segment that s the least capable of absorbing it.
A summer travel season that s expected to be defined by revenge vacations – people hitting the highways en masse following nearly a year stuck at home under pandemic restrictions – is expected to bring with it a surging demand for fuel, yet liquid bulk haulers already have more to haul than drivers to pull it.
Steve Rush, past-chairman of the National Tank Truck Carriers association and CEO of Whartron, New Jersey-based lubricant base oil petroleum product hauler Carbon Express, said the driver shortage is not perceived. It is real. Liquid bulk shipments are on average out two weeks right now with no immediate relief in sight.
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Fewer truck drivers could mean gas shortages at the pump
Fewer truck drivers could mean gas shortages
FOX 26 s Tom Zizka has more on how high gas prices could go this summer due to fewer truck drivers on the roads.
HOUSTON - The summer travel months could include a shortage of gasoline. It s not because there isn t enough fuel, but instead, a challenge getting it to the pump.
It s a lingering effect of the pandemic when people stopped driving and oil prices plummeted.
A lot of specialized tanker-truck drivers, with little to haul, moved on to other jobs to stay employed.
GasBuddy: Prices Likely to Reach $3 Per Gallon Soon
STATEWIDE–Gas prices are likely to reach $3 per gallon in Indiana soon, according to GasBuddy.
That price increase could come as early as Wednesday or later this week. Recently, prices went up in states surrounding Indiana like Michigan and Ohio.
“It’s really just a matter of time for this to happen,” said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. “The overall big story is that COVID-19 improvements across the country have spurred gasoline demand higher.
Last week, we saw a jump in demand by about 3%. That’s the second best weekly demand we’ve had since the pandemic started. That is just behind the week of Easter, which coincided with spring break. I could see it going to $2.99 soon.”