Diesel prices near $6.50 a gallon are putting pressure on Nebraska truck drivers, with independent operators bearing much of the cost and some leaving the business, according to drivers interviewed in Omaha.
Dave Turner, who has driven a company truck for more than 25 years, said high fuel costs have affected how trucking companies plan routes and where drivers stop to refuel. Companies are spending more time identifying lower-cost fuel locations, he said, which can leave drivers waiting for routes to be arranged.
“A lot more time sitting and waiting for the company to be able to actually find decent routes for us as far as having to route us to the cheapest places for us to be able to get fuel,” Turner said.
Diesel prices reached an all-time high of about $6.50 per gallon last month and have remained around that level, according to the report. Turner said the increase has made it harder for drivers to maintain a livelihood in an industry that depends on fuel to move goods between destinations.
Independent operators face direct costs
The impact varies depending on how a driver operates. Company drivers generally receive assistance from their employers in locating less expensive fuel. Independent truckers, however, pay for fuel themselves and have fewer ways to protect their businesses from sudden price increases.
Asiwome Faiti, identified as another company driver, said smaller independent trucking businesses are especially exposed because they lack the purchasing power or fuel-management options available to larger carriers.
“You don’t have the capacity to hedge your fuel, so those are the people suffering, the mom and pop small businesses,” Faiti said.
Turner said several independent truckers he knows have already stopped operating their trucks. He estimated that seven of about 13 close friends in that group had shut down their trucks and found other work.
The drivers’ concerns extend beyond their own businesses. Federal transportation data showed that trucks carried about 65% of U.S. freight by weight in 2024, making trucking a major part of the system used to deliver goods. Fuel costs therefore affect both the operators moving freight and the companies arranging transportation.
- Diesel prices reached about $6.50 per gallon last month.
- Turner said fuel costs have changed how companies plan routes and refueling stops.
- He said seven of roughly 13 independent truckers he knows have stopped driving and taken other jobs.
Faiti said he wants to continue driving while the industry deals with the elevated costs. “All I can say is we pray that this crisis is over soon,” he said.
