AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report for Friday, 10/15/21

National Average Price for Regular – Current: $2.853; Month Ago: $2.968; Year Ago: $2.242. National Average Price for Diesel – Current: $3.162; Month Ago: $3.212; Year Ago: $2.443.

Oil prices, starting with a decrease on Thursday morning, restored the growth by the end of the day and finishes the week, trading up. May Brent futures were 74 cents or 1.06% up, at $70.27 for a barrel at the end of London ICE Futures trading on March,29. June future contracts are 58 cents, or 0.84% up, at $69.34 per barrel. May WTI futures grew in price by 56 cents or 0.87%, to $64.94 for a barrel on NYMEX.

The annualized turnover rate at both large and small truckload carriers rose by double digit percentage points in the third quarter as the industry began bouncing back from a COVID-19 induced slump. “After a calamitous second quarter, trucking – along with the rest of the economy – began recovering in the third quarter, leading to a tightening of the driver market,” said American Trucking Associations Chief Economist Bob Costello. “With a more robust freight market, we saw an increase in carriers seeking drivers, which led to increased turnover. Additionally, the driver pool has decreased this year for a host of reasons, including fewer new drivers coming into the industry as truck driver training schools train less drivers due to social distancing requirements.” In the third quarter, the turnover rate at truckload carriers with more than $30 million in annual revenue rose 10 percentage points to 92% on an annualized basis. The rate at smaller truckload carriers rose 14 points to 74%. Despite the increases, the 2020 average turnover rate is still running behind 2019.