WOODHAVEN, Mich. (WXYZ) — Diesel prices have surged to a national average of $5.04 per gallon, and truck drivers in Metro Detroit say the rapid spike is threatening their livelihoods.
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AAA spokesperson Adrienne Woodlands said the national diesel average has climbed about $1.28 since March 2, reaching levels not seen in years.
"Just to put it into perspective, that $5.04 a gallon for diesel is up about $1.28 since just March 2nd," Woodlands said.
The spike is being driven by conflict in the Middle East. In Michigan, the average price is slightly lower — around $4.89 per gallon — but still up more than a dollar from this time last year. At Flying J's in Woodhaven, prices were as high as $5.09 per gallon.
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Woodlands said the current surge mirrors what drivers experienced in 2022.
"Whether it's state, national, unleaded, premium, and diesel, we have not seen these types of spikes since 2022," Woodlands said.
According to AAA, diesel is increasing even faster than gasoline, putting added pressure on truckers and the companies they work for.
Car hauler Dan Lewis, who owns and operates his own trucking company, said he pays for all of his fuel out of pocket — and the numbers are adding up fast.
"When the prices get to this point, it really becomes about survival," Lewis said.
Lewis said it is costing him nearly double to fill up his truck compared to last year.
"Just today I paid $225," Lewis said.
He said he paid roughly $125 to $130 for the same fill-up this time last year. To cope, Lewis is working longer hours and changing where he fuels up.
"Where I park my truck is a truck stop with a gas station, and I used to go there every morning, and I no longer go there because it's 50 cents cheaper at another gas station, and I have to do whatever I can," Lewis said.
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Even drivers who don't use diesel will feel the impact, according to Woodlands.
"Yeah, absolutely, you know, when diesel prices go up, it gets more expensive for just about everything because so many of the goods that we utilize are shipped via semi trucks, and a lot of times that cost, that extra cost, gets passed on to the consumers," Woodlands said.
As for when prices might come down, Woodlands said there are no easy answers.
"It's really something you can't predict. We've seen crude oil prices shift drastically over the last couple of weeks and daily. They're going up and down, like last week, we hit above $100 a barrel, which are prices we haven't seen since - back to 2022, again," Woodlands said.
For now, Lewis said he plans to hold on and weather the storm.
"It's not as easy as oh, the gas prices went up, or equipment is costing too much to fix, I have to get out. We'll make a little less money, pinch our pennies when we can, and then when hopefully prices come down, we can go back to making good money again," Lewis said.
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