Truckers in for long haul

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August 24, 2008

By KEVIN COUTURE The Press Republican Sun Aug 24, 2008, 12:00 AM EDT

CHAMPLAIN -- Although diesel prices have pulled back a little recently, the high cost of fuel has forced some independent truckers out of business, and many feel that -- while attention is drawn to other sectors such as airlines -- no one is paying attention to their plight.

"It's making people go hungry and it's going to get worse this winter," said trucker Judson Thomas of New Hampshire, an independent contractor with Daily Express of Carlisle, Pa., which covers 48 states and a couple provinces of Canada. "A lot of truck drivers are losing their houses, their rigs and everything."

The U.S. economy depends more heavily on trucks than most people realize, he said, as he stopped for a fill-up at the Peterbilt Fuel Mart in Champlain. And, if things continue the way they are, there could be a crisis on the way. "Without trucks, America stops," he said.

Justin Harvey, owner of Chazy's Just-N-Time, said that in 1993 he was paying 77 cents a gallon for diesel fuel. Today, with 16 trucks and 28 trailers, Harvey finds himself going to the bank daily for $7,000 to $8,000, and that's just for fuel.

Champlain Peterbuilt Fuel Mart Manager Bill Hampton echoed Harvey's sentiments. "It's killing the trucker, and everything has to go up," he said. "This is a terrible mess that we are in."

Hampton, whose truck stop connects the United States and Canadian border, saw changes coming before they happened, and it's been downhill from there.

For example, a year ago, Peterbilt began to sell a lower-sulfur diesel, which burns burns more efficiently and omits fewer toxins into the atmosphere.

But that came with a cost.

Thomas said that, because of the process it takes to refine it, it pushed the price higher.

"In a nutshell, it stinks," he said. "We are kind of being held over the fire. We have no choice in the matter."

Truckers are searching for reasons as to why last August diesel averaged two more cents than gasoline, then by October it was 50 cents more, and that was just the beginning.

Executive director Allen Schaeffer of the Diesel Technology Forum offered some reasons why diesel has been especially hard-hit.

Oil refineries and shipments were delayed by the big Gulf of Mexico hurricanes, he said, and when the refineries were operational again, their concentration was on the commodity most in demand, gasoline.

Schaeffer also said that over the winter, with an increase for the need for heating fuel, there is greater competition for crude, and diesel gets squeezed again.

He pointed out that in some European countries, more than half of the cars now operate on diesel fuel, adding to the skyrocketing cost.

James Feimann, a trucker from Clifton Park, said that something has to give, especially for the little guy.

"The government, or someone, has to step in and somehow try to cap it at a certain price, because if not, a lot of these independent guys aren't going to be able to survive."

Truckers have another disadvantage over workers in other transportation industries such as airlines. They are not permitted to unionize, so they have little means of putting pressure on anyone to make their voices heard.

Trucker rallies on Washington or similar demonstrations are their only recourse.

Some truck makers have been trying to offer some relief to the market, however. For example, Kenworth has come out with a big-rig electric hybrid truck and technologies such as idle-management systems also help to save on fuel.

Harvey, who has 26 employees, said he wishes he could raise his rates, but it's very difficult as "a lot of shippers don't want to pay more.

"There needs to be a mandatory surcharge that is passed down 100 percent to the trucker, not going through anybody else's hands," he said.

Feimann and Harvey may be getting their wish.

The Trust in Reliable Understanding of Consumer Cost Act was presented to the House of Representatives recently. If passed, surcharges would go directly to the driver to assist with fuel costs.

"The economy has to make some changes all around," Hampton said, "or the owner-operator won't be able to operate any longer."

Harvey feels that any transportation business is in serious trouble, but thinks that some may get more of a break than others.

"When it comes to the planes, the government will step in and save them. They always do. The trains, the government will save them. They always do. But you never hear anything about trucks. The trucks are the key to this country. Two or three days without trucks, the shelves would be empty, and the world would come to a stop. I just wish that we could get some respect."

Thomas agreed. "It doesn't matter what you get for a load, a lot of it goes into the fuel tank, causing a lot of guys to park their trucks and say, That's enough.'"

Harvey added, "We're just trying to put fuel in the trucks and pay our drivers. We haven't figured out how to make the payments yet. We're just trying to keep things going. That's how bad it is."

kcountry@primelink1.net