Transportation industry feels the pinch of escalating fuel prices

Transportation industry officials are warning that rising fuel costs
pose an increasing threat to the viability of many small trucking
firms.

Officials with the Washington, D.C.-based American Trucking Associations (ATA) say the rising cost of fuel is the No. 1 concern of its membership. The
ATA is a national trade association for the trucking industry,
representing more than 37,000 members.

Tiffany Wlazlowski, spokeswoman for the ATA, says fuel costs represent up to 25 percent of operating expenses for most of its motor-carrier members.

“High fuel prices are having a tremendous impact on our motor-carrier’s bottom line. It represents our second highest expense — the first being wages, the third being equipment,” Wlazlowski says. “Our industry is expected to spend $100 billion on fuel this year.”

San Antonio Business Journal