A big toll on small oil businesses

BELFAST, Maine – Increases in fuel oil prices are not only hitting the consumer; they are taking their toll on small, independent oil dealers.

With home heating oil running more than $3 per gallon with no ceiling in sight, the smaller dealers are struggling to keep their businesses solvent.


The higher prices have forced them to reduce their profit margins in order to retain customers and compete with the larger suppliers, according to Matthew Porter, owner of Tidewater Oil Co. in Belfast.

Porter said he centered his business plan on delivering oil and kerosene on a cash-price basis. He said the higher prices mean that customers order oil more frequently, and when that happens his expenses rise proportionally.

“The higher the price, the less the small oil companies are making,” Porter said Wednesday. “It does impact you because it