The price of diesel has increased by almost 75 cents per litre in New Brunswick over the past month.
The executive director of the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association says skyrocketing prices are having a big impact on the industry.
Jean-Marc Picard says the financial stress is great for smaller operators who must find ways to sustain themselves.
“You do your work throughout the week. You fill up to three or four times. It’s a lot of money and you won’t get paid for probably 30 days. We’re starting to see small operators wanting to get paid on delivery.”
Picard says it’s inevitable that the steep cost of diesel is trickling down to consumers with higher prices for almost everything.
He says the dramatic jumps are extremely tough to manage for operations both large and small.
“The short term solution… well there isn’t any. I mean, everybody is going to pass it on and pass it on until it hits the shelves and that’s us.”
Like other vehicles right now, Picard says we also have a shortage of large trucks and orders may take up to a year to fill.
If there’s a bit of good news, he says everyone is busy but adds more truck drivers are still being sought in the industry.
