Fuel shortages at gas stations across the country have caused gas prices to surge to a seven-year high.
“Today, 89 percent of US gas stations are selling regular unleaded for $2.75 or more. That is a stark increase over last July 4 when only a quarter of stations were selling gas for more than $2.25,” AAA spokeswoman Jeanette McGee said. “Road trippers will pay the most to fill up for the holiday since 2014.”
The average price for a gallon of gas in the United States has risen to $3.09, a price increase mostly caused by a shortage in the fuel supply at many of the nation’s gas stations. The price represents the highest price people have had to pay for gas ahead of the July 4 weekend since 2014.
The high prices come as AAA estimates over 43 million Americans will hit the road for the holiday weekend, which would be the most car travel in the country so far this year.
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But some analysts fear that the increased demand mixed with a limited supply could cause issues, with some stations across the country low on fuel due to a shortage of truck drivers to transport fuel.
“It used to be an afterthought for station owners to schedule truck deliveries. Now it’s job No. 1,” said Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis for the Oil Price Information Service. “What I’m worried about for July is the increased demand works out to about 2,500 to 3,000 more deliveries needed every day. There just aren’t the drivers to do that.”
AAA says prices at the pump are likely to continue to rise throughout the summer, even as some gas stations in the Los Angeles area have seen prices around $6 a gallon over the last week.
The National Tank Truck Carriers estimates about 20% to 25% of the nation’s tank trucks are parked because of a shortage of drivers, but the special qualifications needed to transport gasoline make those jobs harder to fill.
“We’ve been dealing with a driver shortage for a while, but the pandemic took that issue and metastasized it,” said Ryan Streblow, executive vice president of the NTTC. “It certainly has grown exponentially.”
Patrick DeHaan, a spokesman for GasBuddy, warned that the number of stations around the country running low on fuel could continue to increase.
“It’s hard to predict where the challenges are,” DeHaan said. “It’s just randomized pockets in cities both small and large.”
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“I don’t think demand has reached a peak yet,” he added.
