"They Test The Jesus In Me": Pennsylvania Truckers Pushed To Their Limits As Diesel Prices Soar

"They Test The Jesus In Me": Pennsylvania Truckers Pushed To Their Limits As Diesel Prices Soar In Pennsylvania, truck drivers are being pushed to their limits as skyrocketing diesel prices eat into their earnings, leaving many frustrated and struggling to keep their businesses running.

For Lamar Buckwalter, owner of Buckwalter Trucking LLC, the mounting cost of keeping his trucks on the road is testing both his patience and his wallet.

“They test the Jesus in me,” Buckwalter said of fuel prices. “They’re just ridiculously expensive.”

With diesel averaging about $6.56 a gallon across Pennsylvania, according to AAA, truckers are finding themselves forced to make tough financial decisions just to stay afloat, according to CBS 21 . Buckwalter says he's become increasingly strategic about where he fills his tank, using mobile apps to compare prices and adjusting his travel plans in hopes of saving a few dollars.

“I would be paying $6.57 up in Carlisle. I can go down to Greencastle; it would be $6.59,” he said.

CBS writes that finding cheaper fuel is only part of the battle. Buckwalter says the amount he spends on diesel during a typical weeklong round trip has climbed sharply, cutting deeper into already tight profit margins.

And as a third-generation trucker with decades of experience, he says one of his biggest frustrations is that while nearly everything involved in operating a truck has become more expensive, the money drivers earn for transporting goods hasn't kept up.

“The sad reality is we’re driving the product we’re hauling. Current day is pretty much still at the same rates as what my dad was hauling for back in the 90s,” he said.

That disconnect, Buckwalter says, has left drivers bearing much of the financial burden while consumers face higher prices on store shelves.

“We’re not making nothing. Those high prices you’re seeing in a store that hasn’t gotten passed down to us,” he said.

He also wants people to recognize that the pain at the pump doesn't stop with the trucking industry. Rising transportation costs are creating financial pressure that reaches far beyond the drivers themselves. “It’s not just the truck. You know, everybody’s feeling the effects of the higher fuel,” he said.

And with no immediate relief in sight, Buckwalter fears the financial squeeze could drag on well into next year.

“I personally don’t think we’re going to see any kind of relief at the pump until probably end of first quarter, beginning of second quarter next year. That’s just my prediction,” he said.

For now, Buckwalter and other truckers are left navigating an increasingly expensive road ahead, paying more to deliver the goods Americans rely on while struggling to make the numbers work.