AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report for Friday, 3/2/18

American Dollar to Canadian Dollar = 0.734658; American Dollar to Chinese Yuan = 0.137626; American Dollar to Euro = 1.082254; American Dollar to Japanese Yen = 0.006217; American Dollar to Mexican Peso = 0.055351.

When the price of diesel goes up, the cost of everything else follows. Peak travel season is upon us and gasoline prices continue to soar. Americans are rightfully concerned as the cost of filling up their tank keeps going up at the pump. And while most may not pay as much thought to the price of diesel, the reality is that number weighs even heavier on their pocketbooks. Virtually every good you can think of travels by truck before it’s in your reach. And today’s trucks, by and large, run on diesel. The price of diesel is baked into the price of everything else, gasoline included. Right now, motor carriers are getting slammed by nightmarish surges in the price of diesel. It’s especially hard on smaller fleets, which don’t operate at a scale to negotiate rates down or lock prices into a contract. These small businesses account for 97% of trucking companies in the U.S., running 20 trucks or fewer.

Representatives of unionized dockworkers this week unanimously supported leadership calls for a strike at U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports if a new contract with employers isn’t reached by Oct. 1. Nearly 300 International Longshoremen’s Association delegates concluded two days of meetings in New Jersey by unanimously supporting International President Harold J. Daggett’s call for a coastwide strike at ports from Maine to Texas on Oct. 1 if a new Master Contract with United States Maritime Alliance employers to replace the current six-year pact is not reached by that time.