Texas has the second cheapest gas in the country according to AAA Texas. However, prices at the pump are still on the up. Not because of a shortage of crude oil or gasoline, but because there aren't enough truckers.
Many Texas drivers may have noticed the price for a gallon of regular unleaded is about a dollar higher than this time last year. AAA Texas says the difference is about $1.07. Much of the reason for the higher price a lack of qualified drivers. According to the National Tank Truck Carriers, between 20 and 25% of tanker trucks in a company’s fleet are just parked. Some companies like Sisu Energy in Fort Worth are having to raise a trucker’s salary to more than 12,000 dollars a week to stay competitive.
“We’ve seen upwards of 80 to 100 percent rate increases over the last six months, where companies are starting to compete for our drivers, because there’s not enough drivers right now to do fracturing in the oil fields of South and West Texas,” Industry expert Jim Grundy, Sisu Energy’s CEO, said.
Grundy told our Jimmy Barrett on KPRC 950 you're likely to see prices rise in the next few years on virtually everything we consume that's delivered by truck.
“What we’re seeing now is nothing to what’s about to happen, and what we’re expecting oil to go up over a hundred dollars a barrel here by the end of the year, trucking shortages are going to get exacerbated even more as more of these pipelines come online,” Grundy explained.
He says the demand for truckers may lead to more opportunities for young people and others looking for work.