HOLLAND, Mich. — Diesel prices are hitting an all-time national record high this Labor Day weekend, and truck drivers are feeling it.
The national average price for diesel reached $5.85 per gallon, surpassing the previous record of $5.82 per gallon set in 2022. Around much of West Michigan, drivers are seeing $5.99 per gallon — just shy of the $6 mark.
At the annual Labor Day Truck Parade in Holland, truck drivers gathered to show off their big rigs.
Sarah Floyd, Safety and Claims Manager at Sweet Express, said the prices are taking a serious toll.
"It's astronomical. It's making it really hard for these guys to live. Not only does it affect our owner-operators, but it affects us as a company as well," Floyd said.
Sweet Express, based in the Grand Rapids area, handles 500 trucks. Floyd said the impact goes beyond the bottom line.
"It would mean the world if we could get a hold of these prices and make America something affordable for our drivers to be able to maintain their house and take care of their families," Floyd said.
When asked what goes through her mind seeing $5.99 at the pump, Floyd did not hold back.
"Working for free. These trucks are moving. They're not making any money. America needs what's in the back of these vans every day," Floyd said.
Among those at the parade was Alex Goodale, owner of the Green Ghost, a sled-pulling truck he takes to fairs across Michigan.
"The Green Ghost is a sled-pulling truck that we pull around the state of Michigan at all the local fairs," Goodale said.
Goodale said the high cost of diesel is not enough to keep him off the road.
"It is very expensive, and it is something that you look at, but, you know, we're out to have fun, and we want to make sure that we get every all of our fans to have a good time. So we want to make sure that everyone has a good time. So we go out and do it," Goodale said.
The financial burden of diesel is not limited to the drivers themselves. According to former warehouse manager Perry Slagter, the cost is being passed on to consumers through fuel surcharges.
"There's always a fuel surcharge, and that goes up and down with the cost of fuel," Slagter said.
Slagter said the surcharges have become increasingly noticeable in recent years.
"I'd say in the past three years, it has been a big effect on packages," Slagter said.
Some company drivers at the parade said they are relieved their employers are covering the fuel costs. But for owner-operators, the record prices are a daily reality.
Floyd said the role truck drivers play cannot be overstated.
"They are absolutely essential. They keep America moving at the end of the day," Floyd said.
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