Trucking and Gas Prices

Gasoline prices in the United States have more than doubled in past few years. It has affected most American’s in a negative way as travelling to and from work or school now costs more. Unfortunately, it also affects my husband and me as we own and he operates our own 18 wheeler tractor/trailer. I use to share the driving with him and we were making good money as a team traveling all over the United States including Alaska, however, last summer the supply and demand caught up with us and there were too many trucks on the road compared to the amount of freight loads. Our income went down 50% and we needed to make some changes. We decided a steady job with a regular paycheck would be necessary to make ends meet. I volunteered to stay home and apply for a job. My husband would continue to stay on the road and keep the truck moving to make the payment. We didn’t think it would be for more than a year but that changed when the fuel prices doubled this year so now an already bad situation is now worse.

My opinion and I know I am not alone, that in order to reduce prices at the pump, we need to produce more fuel/gasoline. I didn’t need to take my class in economics to know about supply and demand and how it affects the economy. Well, if the answer was that easy to solve then why not drill for more oil or find an alternative solution to our fuel shortage. How much does the fuel need to cost before we all literally stand still. When will the people of the United States or their leaders take fate into their own hands and solve this problem forever. I am ready, maybe because my issue with the fuel prices, which is what the truckers call it instead of gasoline, is affective much more.

I feel we need to drill off shore on both East and West coasts of the United States and in the Gulf of Mexico. We need to stop complaining about it and do whatever needs to be done to correct the problem. The people or leaders in the Middle East should not have this much control over our
economy. Drilling in Alaska would be another alternative and the ANWR (Alaska National Wildlife Refuge) needs to back off as our country is in need. I wish to protect the Caribou as much as the next person but the information I have been given from the press will not interfere
with the path of migration as the oil drillers have done their research and would not be drilling in the path of the Caribou migration. I have driven to and in Alaska and can tell you from personal experience of the large herds of Caribou on the highway. They don’t appear to be extinct and precautions can be taken to preserve them.

There are more answers then drilling for additional oil. Another alternative may come from our own land. We are as rich in coal as the Saudi’s are in oil. We have the technology to produce oil from coal, so when will we begin mining more coal? How bad does the fuel costs need to rise before we say enough and hire the right people in the White House to get the job done? I don’t know but for me, not soon enough and it can’t be soon enough for the trucking industry.

I know we have options and solutions but why none have been implemented them yet, I don’t know. Do we need different leadership to get the job started? I don’t know but what we have now doesn’t seem to be working. So most of us out of frustration, complain, point fingers and pay the higher prices at the fuel island or gas pump until the powers that be begin to take action.

Personally I find it disheartening that the so many of us are at the mercy of our own government to start producing more resources. I can’t wait until the right person decides to make the necessary changes to correct the problem, until then, I will make whatever changes are necessary for my husband and me to survive through this economic crisis.

The good news is I also decided since I was staying at home it would be a great time to finish my Bachelor’s Degree. My husband thought that was a great idea and after graduation if things were not better on the road, he will do the same. We will both continue to update our Class A drivers license because we have a dream that someday the supply and demand will be in our favor and the American dream of owning your own business will and prospering from it will take us back on the road. Come visit us on www.adventuresintrucking.com.