LIMA, OH (WLIO) - Diesel prices are soaring alongside gas prices, meaning truck drivers who are hauling a variety of items state-to-state are also hurting.
Because of the rising diesel prices -- those who rely on shipments may be seeing a rollover effect when it comes to deliveries.
"Trucking companies can only absorb so much of the money of the cost of fuel... so hey, me and you, we are going to pay for it," said Chuck Elwer, Ag/Diesel Division head of the University of Northwestern Ohio. "We look at surcharges, these companies they are going to have to raise rates, they add surcharges. If you are in a business-type environment and get supplies delivered by a truck, you are seeing a cost increase exponentially because of the rising fuel."
And the impact affects more than just nationwide truck delivery drivers, but those are at the local level. Services that are often offered by companies that deal with lawn or home care, as well as transportation, could be impacted by the rise in prices, especially if they rely on diesel.
"We also got to look at your local people, your lawn care people, those who probably have a diesel-powered pickup truck," said Elwer. "So if you are wondering why some of these services are going up... it's all about the fuel prices."
While advancements have also been made with electric vehicles, there is still work to be done with it comes to trucks. Until that happens, we expect an increase
"That's going to take a little bit of time," said Elwer. "We got to get infrastructure so that there is other options... but currently, we need this diesel fuel to get these trucks down the road."
