MOUNT VERNON — The high cost of fuel has hit everyone hard, and it doesn’t look like the prices are going to come down any time soon.
Fed up with the high price of diesel fuel, truckers are talking about parking their trucks for one day, Monday, March 24.
“It’s spreading like wildfire across the CB,” said owner-operator Tom Bark of Apple Valley. “Coast to coast, they’re talking about it.
“I guess the American people have to wake up and realize that without trucks, everything is going to come to a stop. If we stop rolling, we’ll be in trouble.”
Bark, who spoke with the News on Thursday from Baltimore, was in the midst of a 4 1/2-day run from California to Maryland. After spending the last 32 years driving, Bark said he’ll park his truck on March 24.
“I’m like all these other guys; I’m fed up and I’m going to park the truck,” he said. “My wheels are turning, but I’m just spinning.”
Bark said the run from California to Maryland used to pay $8,000; now, it pays $2,200, about $1 a mile. To break even, Bark said he needs to make about $3.20 a mile; to make a profit, at least $4.
“When you’re paying what you’re paying for fuel, you’re losing,” he said. “I’m losing money; I can’t afford it.”
According to the American Trucking Association, the trade association for truckers, the average price of diesel in the United States is $3.82, up $1.13 from the same period in 2007. The West Coast averages $3.89; California, $3.96. However, Bark said he recently paid $4.77 in New Mexico.
“California, Arizona and New Mexico, they’re the three most expensive places to buy,” he said. “And it’s going up all the time.”
At a Truckstop of America in Pennsylvania recently, Bark said he paid $4.71 a gallon for diesel. On the road Thursday, he paid $4.59 at a Pilot station in Maryland. A few hours down the road, the price had gone down to $4.54.
Bark, who drives for Grand Island Trucking based in Lincoln, Neb., said the high price of diesel isn’t the only increased cost drivers are facing on the road.
“The price of food has gone up. I spend about $200 a week eating on the road,” he said, adding that he does eat a decent meal at a TA or Flying J truck stop, rather than fast food. “A shower is $8.50, if you buy fuel, too; it’s $10.50 without buying fuel.”
In addition, he said, truck payments at $1,700 a month, health insurance premiums at $277 a week, hazmat licenses, background checks and safety tests, and the cost of maintenance, all add up.
“I lost an alternator on my Kenworth, a $119 part,” he said. “They charged $135 an hour to work on the truck, with a minimum of two hours. So my $119 alternator that I bought ended up costing me close to $400 by the time it got done.
“I guess one of the biggest complaints that 90 percent of us have is we have so many new state and federal regulations,” he added.
As an example, Bark said that in New York state, trucks aren’t allowed to sit idling. For a first offense, drivers can get a $100 fine. The second time, it’s a $1,000 fine.
“I guess I’m just so frustrated now, I’m ready to scream,” said Bark, who believes it’s time the government steps in with some aid.
“There used to be a standard rate per mile,” he said. “They’ve got to get companies to set a rate where you can make a profit.”
According to the ATA, truckers average 120,000 miles a year. Most newer trucks get 6 mpg. With a 200-gallon tank, using ATA’s average of $3.82, that’s $764 a tankful. For some motor carriers, fuel has now surpassed labor as its largest expense.
“The trucking industry would benefit from a single national diesel fuel standard, which would help reduce the magnitude of fuel price spikes,” states the association on its Web site.
According to the ATA, more than 80 percent of communities in the United States get their goods solely by truck.
“If we stop rolling, there won’t be any milk or bread on the shelf,” said Bark.