Letters to the Editor: Rising Fuel Costs

At our company we’ve had to make major cutbacks in office personnel as well as downsize our office space because of rising costs. I’m sure that we’re not the only company to have to do this.

One thing is for sure: Owner-operators will not be able to maintain their truck payments and equipment repairs if fuel remains at its present level.

There are a great many shippers that still refuse to pay any kind of fuel surcharge. If the government doesn’t step in — and I mean now — there will be thousands of owner-operators going out of business in the next three months.

i>Vice-President

arriers Logistics of Florida Inc.

rooksville, Fla.

I am a one-truck owner-operator. I got through the tough times of paying for a truck and trailer, and now I’m about to lose it all because of fuel prices.

What are the oil companies trying to do, put the trucking industry out of business? Don’t they know just how important trucks are to the nation? I’d better quit now before I get carried away.

Gary Grubaugh

I>Owner

ouble G Trucking

eer Lodge, Mont.

This fuel-cost spike makes a major difference in our trucking operation. While we are getting fuel surcharges on the majority of our freight, we do not cover our increased expenses because there is no surcharge on the fuel we use for deadhead miles, idling time or reefer fuel.

In addition, the fuel surcharges we do pass through to our customers go on down the line and increases the price of goods to the ultimate consumer. This has got to be an economic killer in an economy that is not good.

Our president and Congress sit by, doing nothing about this problem. At the same time our president continues to make threats to everyone in the world, with nothing but mouth to back up the threats. I feel this president may turn out to be the worst one-term president in history.

Pat Patrick

I>President

ennesaw Transportation Inc.

hite, Ga.

I feel that the problem [of escalating fuel costs] is a multi-faceted situation that has been forthcoming for several years. As long as we remain as dependent upon foreign oil as we are and have the tapped and untapped reserves that we have, we have created our own nemesis.

Due to deregulation of the industry years ago, it has become a shippers market. Competition is so intense and shippers are only looking for one thing: the cheapest prices for shipping their products. They do not want to allow rate increases or fuel surcharges.

The industry cannot continue this way for an indefinite period of time without some relief. Owner-operators are the lifeblood of this industry and they are not going to be able to survive if we as companies get no support from the government. Either mandate a rate surcharge or, the best way, reduce our dependence on foreign crude.

Chuck Sines

I>Terminal Manager

irst Coast Intermodal

a Porte, Texas

These letters appear in the March 17 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.