Isolated Gas Shortages In U.S. Thanks to Truck Driver Shortages

in #jobs3 years ago (edited)


The U.S. has plenty of gas to go around to meet demand, but a lack of tanker-truck drivers right now is fueling a shortage of supply with some stations.

In areas around Florida and Arkansas, isolated fuel shortages have been reported.

With travel starting to pick up now with warmer weather and things opening, there are some who are expecting the gas shortage to possibly get worse this summer.

Those areas that might get it the worst are popular tourist destinations like those near beaches or mountain resorts, and other heavy tourist regions in the U.S.

However, not to worry because they suspect the shortages won't last long and that we won't see lines grow like you might have seen several years ago when gas shortages reached the nation.

Logistics issue not a supply issue

They warn that the issue is one of logistics and not of supply. It's just a matter of trying to get the gas where it needs to be.

There has been a reported truck driver shortage for some time now and companies have been aggressively seeking to hire, offering very lucrative incentives to those who might be interested. Many drivers also retired early during COVID that weren't supposed to retire yet for several years and that added to the need for more drivers in this industry now as well.

Numerous truck driving schools also shut down during the pandemic as well, this meant it would take longer for people to become qualified to do the job.

Between 20-50% of tank trucks right now are parked because they cannot find qualified drivers.

That is according to the National Tank Truck Carriers, a significant portion of the fleet heading into summer is going to be off the road because they cannot get drivers.

This means that you can also expect to see some rising gas prices too. And some are already seeing it at the pump.


A fuel pipeline also recently halted their operations in the U.S. after an attack and if they experience a prolonged shutdown that could also negatively impact prices and supply.

"With that spike in demand, our capacity hasn't necessarily caught up in terms of fuel truck drivers, and so that's where the worry is around this potential shortage that some people think may occur this summer," T Kraft, a supply chain expert at NC State University

If prices go up that is going to impact millions and mean that people will have less extra money to go toward other things, because their transportation costs will be going up.

Delivery drivers will also see a decline in their income with the more they have to spend on gas too.

There is a significant driver shortage right now and until this is addressed there will be a problem with distribution and meeting demand around the country.

Facing a delay in deliveries

That delay in deliveries is what is contributing to the shortage for some stations, but experts insist that there is no need to panic because there is a lot of supply to go around. Gas shortages in the U.S. they say might become "scattered' in the coming months but that you should still be able to find some and fill up.

Sources:
https://www.newspressnow.com/news/local_news/drivers-hit-the-road-amid-talk-of-gas-shortages/article_7dfc8726-ad06-11eb-9f0d-fb43da6e6bc6.html
https://www.azfamily.com/news/ap_cnn/coming-this-summer-gas-stations-running-out-of-gas/article_72639b4a-af98-11eb-b8b3-3326ae8994cf.html?block_id=997199
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2021/05/08/gasoline-pipeline-shutdown-colonial-pipeline-alpharetta-georgia-cyberattack/5003760001/
https://abc11.com/gas-prices-shortage-fuel-trucks-tanker-truck-drivers/10590067/
https://miami.cbslocal.com/2021/05/05/gas-trucker-shortages-covid/

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Numerous truck driving schools also shut down during the pandemic as well, this meant it would take longer for people to become qualified to do the job.

I wonder how many people have chosen to not train to be be semi drivers after seeing stories about self-driving vehicles being the future of driving. Why train for a career that might not exist in a few years?

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I would be interested in a self-driving truck. There would be a requirement for a human driver to oversee the operation and take over as needed. Easiest job ever. It actually has me thinking of driving after I start drawing pension.

it is some good fear porn that's for sure, but no tomorrow I doubt that robots will be the only ones driving trucks on the roads. I think the work conditions have more to do with it as not many people today want to be on the road for long periods of time like that

I think I was reading about a crypto group trying to tackle this problem by automating delivery trucks with blockchain. I want to say it was EDI freight trust and VeChain both separately pursuing this.

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I may become a driver in 10 years after I qualify for pension. My concern would mainly be health and safety. I would not drive to Minneapolis or Portland, OR, for example. As for health, I’d need to be mindful of eating right and getting in some exercise.