Truckers to Washington: Drill for oil!

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Truckers are telling Washington to do something about the high prices of fuel and quit blaming the oil companies and OPEC.

"The temporary solutions aren't any good," David Kilcoin, a truck owner-operator from Phoenix, Ariz., told WND at the Great West Truck Show going on now at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

"We don't need a quick fix; what we need is to develop what we have offshore, in Alaska and from oil shale," he said.

With fuel prices for gasoline for passenger vehicles hovering at $4 a gallon and diesel for the big rigs higher, he said those in Washington, including the president, the presidential candidates and Congress, have "spent far too much time focusing on getting rich quick themselves."

Truckers face fuel expenses as the largest single part of their operating expenses, often with bills that run 25 percent of their budget.

Jerry Dubuque, an owner-operator from Stanwood, Wash., said he never runs his tanks to empty any more.

"I do add about 200 gallons at each fillup. This costs me around $1,000 each time," he said.

He, too, blamed Washington.

"The reality is that those in D.C. have enough money to fill their tanks, or we the taxpayers fund it. They just don't care about the middle and lower classes," he said. "They really should try to live a day in our shoes to see what reality is like."

There have been discussions about suspending the federal fuel tax and halting contributions to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as a way to make more fuel available and lower its price.

But drivers said that won't have a significant impact.

"Even if they temporarily suspend the federal fuel tax, just how long will that last," said Geoff Bell, a driver from Kingman, Ariz. "Where will they get the money to fund highways? The reality is they will find a way to get that money anyway, so what good does it really do? It's just a feel-good move in a political year."

"I don't blame OPEC. I don't blame the oil companies. … What we need to do is drill. Stop capping the wells and drill. Go drill more so the supply increases. Speculators need to be regulated too," he said.

Truck owner-operators are able to make some adjustments by increasing fuel surcharges their customers must pay, but those costs ultimately are passed along to consumers, they noted.

"I'm doing OK even with the rising cost of fuel because I just keep raising my fuel surcharge. For now this is working because I have good customers, but they can only raise their prices so much too," Dubuque said.

Bell said his company barely is getting by with fuel prices at current levels.

"Not all customers are willing to pay the increased fuel surcharges. When they do though, this is just passed on to the consumers. So, we all end up paying anyway," he said.

The drivers agreed alternative fuels are of interest, but not a significant influence now.

"The real solution is to develop the resources we have – drill," said Kilcoin.

Other factors are throwing a shadow over the drivers' hopes, too.

"I am very concerned that Bush will have us in Iran before he leaves office – then watch oil prices," said Bell.