LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — For those in the business of driving, there's not much they can change about their driving habits.
We found truck drivers stopping to fuel up in Pittston Township Friday afternoon; they hope something gives soon or else more drivers will be parking it for good.
"I drive for a living, so I can't but if I were not driving for a living, I definitely would get a Prius or something you know," said Ned Georgia.
The rising cost of fuel is hitting drivers across the nation. We spoke with truck drivers in Pittston about the impact it has on day-to-day operations. They tell Newswatch 16 it's slowing down productivity quite literally.
"A lot of trucks that are geared at 65, you see drivers out on the road doing 55 now because it saves that much fuel to compensate for the cost of the fuel that's going up," said Michael Kindt, Reading.
With freight rates going down and fuel prices going up, drivers say they are seeing many leave the industry.
"A lot of smaller owner-operators absolutely, because they are choking right now because they can barely make ends meet," said Kindt.
Another truck driver came to the United States from Somalia in 2016 to open his own trucking business. He tells us if prices continue, he may be forced to hang it up, "The load we are picking up they pay only $2 or $1.75 per mile. But before it would take 200-300, now even 1,000 cannot fill my truck," he said.
"But if the next two months if the price will be like that we cannot move, we cannot pay the rent we cannot pay the tolls we cannot pay gas we can't do anything," he said.
At the end of the day, when the cost to move goods goes up consumers like you and I will feel it.
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