Updated
Updated · Eyewitness News 3 · Sep 16
Connecticut Diesel Tops $6 a Gallon, Driving Up Food and Goods Costs
Updated
Updated · Eyewitness News 3 · Sep 16

Connecticut Diesel Tops $6 a Gallon, Driving Up Food and Goods Costs

3 articles · Updated · Eyewitness News 3 · Sep 16

Summary

  • $6-plus diesel in Connecticut is pushing up prices for food and other goods, with pump costs running about $2.50 higher than a year ago.
  • More than 70% of food and goods move by diesel truck, and Quinnipiac finance professor Osman Kilic said those higher transport costs are being passed through supply chains because sellers cannot absorb them.
  • Kilic also tied the diesel surge to the war in Iran, saying agricultural commodities such as soybeans and wheat have climbed sharply since the conflict began.
  • Wolcott Sanitation Services owner George Porter said fuel is "killing us"; he recently raised rates but is still avoiding a separate fuel surcharge for customers.
  • For households, Kilic said the broad effect reaches beyond drivers, advising families to cut non-essential spending until diesel prices ease.

Insights

With diesel costs suffocating small carriers, will your winter heating bills and grocery receipts become the next casualties of this crisis?
Could the $6 diesel crisis be the unexpected catalyst that forces the trucking industry to finally embrace electric vehicles?
As fuel surcharges push small trucking businesses toward bankruptcy, who will be left to deliver our essential goods?