Omaha-area truck drivers worry diesel prices could threaten their livelihoods
By Marisa Nuñez
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OMAHA, Nebraska (KETV) — Dave Turner has been a company truck driver for over 25 years, and rising diesel costs have him fearing for his livelihood.
“It’s just, it’s astronomical and almost makes us non-existent,” Turner said.
Diesel costs reached their highest recorded average price last month at about $6.50 a gallon. Since then, prices have remained in the same range.
Turner said diesel costs tend to fluctuate year to year and across state lines, but the recent hike in cost is changing the industry.
“A lot more time sitting and waiting for the company to be able to actually find different routes for us, as far as having to route us to the cheapest places to be able to get fuel,” Turner said.
Asiwome Faiti, another company driver, said that independent truckers are taking the biggest hit.
“[Independent truckers] don’t have capacity to get fuel,” Faiti said. “So those are the people suffering, the mom and pop and small businesses here.”
According to federal transportation data, trucks carried about 65% of U.S. freight by weight in 2024. Turner is concerned about the trucking industry as a whole.
“The ability to actually be able to keep doing my job. I’ve been doing it so long. I don’t know if I could do anything else,” Turner said.
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