BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Diesel prices in Bakersfield have jumped more than 60% compared to this time last year, according to AAA, with the average price now above $8 a gallon. That's an increase of nearly a dollar and a half in just one month.
Local business owners say the surge is forcing difficult decisions, and consumers are likely to feel the effects at the grocery store.
For trucking companies, the rising cost has been especially painful. Joseph Tallman, managing partner of Tactical Trucking Solutions, says his company can no longer absorb the full increase.
"We've had to start initiating some fuel surcharges in. It's about a 39% to 40% increase from what we were charging before and customers are not happy about that," Tallman said.
Tallman says Tactical Trucking Solutions has also cut its workforce from 35 employees to 15 over the past year. As fuel costs rose, the company needed to charge higher rates, which some customers weren't willing to pay, leading to less work and eventually layoffs.
Agricultural businesses are facing similar pressure. Jeff Alexander with Big N Deep Inc. says the costs add up quickly when running large equipment.
"That all makes a big difference for us, especially with us using big tractors. I mean, we're burning 27 to 30 gallons an hour, so for being up from where it was last year, I mean we were $79 an hour for fuel. Now we're $190 an hour for fuel," Alexander said.
Zackary Alexander, a foreman with Big N Deep Inc., says when their fuel bill goes up, local farmers bear the burden.
"We passed the price of the fuel surcharge onto the customer, which is the farmer, but they're not seeing the increase in commodities when they sell their almonds, their grapes...so they're not making the money back in the long run," Zackary Alexander said.
The ripple effect extends all the way to store shelves. Kalid Mansour, co-owner of Blue Fig Farms, says the cost of getting products to his business has more than doubled.
"I used to pay for delivery for the pallet, almost $200. Now I'm paying about $450 so the diesel prices had a huge effect on delivery. When delivering the products, when delivering the produce, when delivering grocery items," Mansour said.
Mansour says even people who don't drive diesel-powered vehicles will still feel the impact.
"We don't feel that as a consumer, because we don't fill up our cars or vehicles with diesel. You're not gonna see that increase but obviously you'll see it on your food table," Mansour said.
Some business owners say they are absorbing the higher costs rather than passing them on to customers for now.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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