Truck driving industry faces uncertainty as diesel prices skyrocket

The ongoing war in Iran is impacting drivers as they head to the pump and that includes truck drivers facing rising diesel prices.

On Monday, the cost per gallon for diesel in El Paso neared $5.

El Paso is a big pit stop for truck drivers crossing through borderland, who are now feeling the blow.

I wouldn't like to pay more that much, but I have to, I cannot stop my company," said Ruben Marquez, owner of El Paso Starlight, a truck-driving school. "We need to keep running and moving."

Filling up the gas tank has been something many people are avoiding, trucking companies now have to either pay double or tell drivers to cut it down at the pump.

"For $375, last week, it was a full tank that would run me over 1200 miles. Now, I can only put half," said another truck driver, Jorge Perez.

He driver supplies fuel for clients, now his company can only transport half of what they used to, after seeing that a full tank would cost them nearly $800.

UTEP economics professor Tom Fullerton says these cost increases will delay hiring of workers, reducing economic activity here in the borderland. 

"It's going to reduce the profitability of all transportation companies, including all of the trucking companies that operate in the borderplex," said Fullerton.

Sick or not, all truckers can do is keep working, and scour the region for the cheapest options.

"Without that, I'll be out of a job pretty soon if this keeps going the way it is," said Perez.

His biggest concern is that the trucking industry comes to a complete stop. 

"It's impacting drastically, completely, and it's a big change from one week to the other," Perez continued. "It's just amazing how the fuel prices are just spiked up so bad."

Fullerton also said if the war continues much longer, we can see a bigger jump in prices than right now —and the best trucking companies can do, is combine as many trips as possible into a fewer number of trips.