| Question 8 |
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| Q. | |
I am 75 years old and can remember when gasoline was 30 and 40 cents a gallon diesel fuel was 10 cents less. The reason is that it costs less at the refinery level to make diesel fuel. My son is an owner operator and pays for his own fuel. If I was a younger man I would be on the steps of Congress asking for our government to put some pressure on the oil refiners and big gasoline to quit gouging the price of diesel. I am trying to find an agency with some clout to find a way to make the refiners and gas companies behave. I have written my Senator and have not received a reply, but why does that not surprise me? Everything we buy and use on a daily basis was delivered by a truck and the outrageous price of diesel is making all those things more expensive. All trucker need some help. Can you help? Thanks, Joe Tillman |
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| A. | |
This is a tough one but I feel compelled to respond. Joe, while this is not relevant to this particular subject, I know what you're up against. I unfortunately can't help you in getting the price of fuel reduced, however there are steps that can be taken. One of biggest expenses to your son is his fuel cost. I hope he does not idle his truck needlessly, but if he does, he has to look into acquiring some sort of idle reduction technology. There are many options out there. Owner Operators are somewhat more conscious of their bottom dollar, but fact is that Class 8 trucks are idling 30%-50% of the time, especially in colder climates. By using anti-idling technologies you can get these percentages down below 15%. There is an association out there called OOIDA (Owner Operators Independent Drivers Association), you might want to get in touch with them regarding national support.
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