Washington diesel prices hit record high twice in a week

SEATTLE — Diesel hit its highest average price ever in Washington state twice in a week, reaching the most expensive rate Friday at $6.55 per gallon, according to AAA.

Truck drivers and the businesses who hire them are feeling the impacts.

In Seattle, that average for diesel is even higher at $6.69, and KOMO News crews found one gas station in Georgetown listed diesel at $7.07 per gallon on Friday. People who drive for a living said it can be devastating for business.

United Motor Freight Trucking Company, near the port of Seattle, specializes in container loading and heavy-haul services to 49 states and Canada, and their semis get about 5 miles per gallon.

General Manager Jason Mitchell said the company can handle the increase in fuel, but that smaller operators likely have many trucks sitting.

“We’re still driving. That cost gets passed onto a fuel surcharge for the customer. Last year this time, we were at about 45 cents a mile for a fuel surcharge. It’s at $1.06 as of this week,” Mitchell added.

Seattle University Associate Professor of Economics Nick Huntington-Klein explained the conflict in Iran has driven up the cost due to supply chain disruptions, and that it’s likely drivers will see costs continue to rise at the pump as we run through reserves.

“It really comes down to: will the Strait of Hormuz open and when? If the Strait of Hormuz opens tomorrow, then we would expect gas prices would continue to rise for a little while,” Huntington-Klein stated.

Mitchell said the uptick is one more hurdle in addition to the other charges added by the state.

“In the past couple of years we’ve seen renewed climate commitments which have been driving up prices of gas in Washington state,” Huntington-Kline stated, referring to the Climate Commitment Act. The cap-and-invest program forces fuel suppliers to buy emissions allowances at auctions, and that cost is largely passed on to drivers.