Shortage of truck drivers is behind fuel delivery delays, says GasBuddy analyst

Shortage of truck drivers is behind fuel delivery delays, says GasBuddy analyst

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, told CNBC on Wednesday that a shortage of truck drivers is causing fuel delivery disruptions at some . "This is a labor challenge. There's no fuel shortage," De Haan said on explaining that refineries are "producing nearly all-time record highs in terms of gallons of gasoline this summer." "The problem is getting that gasoline the last leg of its journey from a local terminal to the gas station, and we're starting to see some of these delivery delays," he said. Temporary shortages have been reported at gas stations in , , and , according to local media reports. According to National Tank Truck Carriers, the trucking industry is short . De Haan said it's been a "brewing problem" since 2017 that was accelerated by the Covid pandemic, when gasoline demand plummeted. Some companies let their truck drivers go, while other drivers took early retirement, De Haan said. Now, gas station chains are offering sign-on bonuses ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 to prospective drivers, he said. De Haan said the current fuel delivery challenges are different from the last month, which, in Southeastern states such as Georgia and North Carolina, was