Garrett Lauder, who operates Crown Wrecker (Waller County Paint and Body), told KHOU 11 he is spending about $120 to $135 every time he fills up, sometimes three times a day, and said "I don't know how long we can do it" at current prices. KHOU reported that some tow truck drivers are now paying closer to $650 a week on diesel compared with $50 to $100 for a typical passenger driver, with energy analyst Ed Hirs citing an Iranian blockade on the Strait of Hormuz and a retaliatory U.S. blockage of Iranian ports as drivers of the spike.
Operator takeaway
The fuel math is getting brutal at the small-operator level. If you have not revisited fuel surcharge language in your contracts, motor club agreements, and rotation paperwork this month, do it now; Hirs told KHOU that carriers unable to pass fuel costs through are the ones that will feel it hardest, according to KHOU's energy analyst.