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June 28, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels April 24, 2004 Running on fumes to get into Oregon By Steve Zimmmerman Ashland Daily Tidings As gas prices continue to rise, long haul truckers and the companies they work for are having to become more creative to cut costs. One of the ways on the West Coast is to avoid filling up in California, where, according to Department of Energy figures, diesel fuel reached an average price of $2.26 on Thursday. That is a spike in price of 9 cents over last week and 61 cents over a year ago. That means many truckers are driving through California and waiting to get to Oregon to fill their tanks. Oregon's average diesel price is $1.77. That is lower than California due to the Public Utilities Commission fee that is paid by trucking companies and owner-operators. In exchange, they pay no sales tax. Francisco Cerrera, a truck driver from California, fills up with diesel at Pear Tree in Phoenix. Satsuki Doi | Ashland Daily Tidings But some drivers, including many who stop for a break at the Hilt exit off I-5, feel there is some shenanigans being played by the oil companies. "I think it is price gouging," Fred, a truck driver from Kansas who did not want to give his last name, said emphatically. "And if they don't do something about these prices, a lot of truckers I know are just going to park their rigs. I know of seven already that have done it." Fred is out on the road three to four weeks at a time, with a couple of days off each week. He said the number of trips he and other drivers are making has not significantly decreased, it is more the way they fuel their trucks that has changed. "It is where we fuel that has changed," he said. "I drive 48 states. On this trip, I came out of Arizona. I fueled up just before leaving Arizona, and will get enough gas to get to Washington, where the price is even a few cents cheaper than here." Fred said as you get into the middle part of the country, diesel fuel becomes less expensive. It is as much as a dollar cheaper in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas that it is in California. "When I look at the prices in California, I can't believe it," he said. "I don't know if it is the taxes or whatever. But it is a lot cheaper in other states and that is why I think there is price gauging going on." According to the Web site rpmfortruckers.com, many truck owners running 10,000 miles a month are saying that their diesel fuel costs have increased as much as $1,000 over the same period last year. Some drivers, like David, a trucker from Montana, have even gone so far as to cut costs in other areas. "I bring sandwiches and other munchie foods with me to help cut my cost," he said. "And I keep a cooler with food in it that I can microwave at truck stops along the way. Plus, I have seen fuel prices jump 2 to 3 cents a day as I drive. It is getting a little ridiculous." Skip, a trucker who drives for Market Transport out of Portland, drives mainly from Portland to the Bay Area twice a week. He said the high cost of fuel has slightly altered the way the company has its drivers fuel their trucks. "The company is now requiring us to fuel more at our yard in Portland than on the road," Skip said. "What we try and do is top off our tanks in Portland, make it down to where we are going and back as far as we can. We load about 50 gallons here to make sure we can make it back to Portland. It has always been standard procedure to put on as few gallons as we can in California." He said truckers fueling in Oregon can get as much as a 30-cent-a-gallon break on diesel fuel over the price in California. He paid $2.01 for diesel upon entering Oregon. That price includes a 14-cent-per-gallon weight mile tax. He said the diesel price in Corning, Calif., Thursday morning was $2.17. Skip drives a company truck now and noted he will probably never again be an owner-operator, because of the high costs. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams