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Brace Yourselves…..We May Have A Gas Shortage In The U.S. This Summer

Gas stations may be out of gas this summer, as a reduction in trucking has created a supply and demand problem in the petrol industry.


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Oh man! We get to go back to the 70s?!

I never thought I’d see the day; sadly though, we won’t get any of the great music or the beautiful classic automobiles.

What we may get though is gas shortages.

This is something that green companies and electric car manufacturers like Tesla are probably looking forward to and will benefit from.

Self driving trucks are just around the corner, and self driving electric cars are already here.

If the price of gas is so dependent on truck drivers then what will happen when pretty much all trucks are driverless and electric?

Will there be mass shortages then as well?

What about $20 a gallon gas?

Honestly, we can’t rule out anything…..the world just keeps on turning, and things just keep getting crazier and crazier.

Take a look:

Fox Business had more: 

A truck driver shortage throughout the U.S. could potentially pose a "threat" to the gas industry, according to OPIS Energy Analysis Global Head Tom Kloza.

According to AAA, drivers are paying around $2.88 per gallon for gas, however, prices could further increase throughout the summer if the truck driver shortage continues nationwide.

The OPIS analyst's comments come on the heels of Florida experiencing gas shortages during spring break this year when retailers struggled to get trucks to deliver gasoline from the terminals to stations. Kloza is "worried" that the shortage could potentially linger nationwide until Labor Day.

CNN Business reported: 

According to the National Tank Truck Carriers, the industry's trade group, somewhere between 20% to 25% of tank trucks in the fleet are parked heading into this summer due to a paucity of qualified drivers. At this point in 2019, only 10% of trucks were sitting idle for that reason.

"We've been dealing with a driver shortage for a while, but the pandemic took that issue and metastasized it," said Ryan Streblow, the executive vice president of the NTTC. "It certainly has grown exponentially."    

"We were even hauling boxes for Amazon just to keep our drivers busy," said Holly McCormick, vice president in charge of driver recruitment and retention at Groendyke Transport, an Oklahoma tanker company. "A lot of drivers didn't want to do the safety protocols. We're also working with an aging work force. Many said 'I might as well take it as a cue to retire.'"

Not just any truck driver is allowed to drive a tanker truck. It requires special certification, including a commercial driver's license, and weeks of training after being hired. And while the jobs are more attractive than some long-haul trucking jobs that can keep drivers away from home for days or weeks at a time, it is strenuous, difficult work.



 

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