VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — As inflation stays steady across the U.S., we're seeing higher prices at places like the grocery store. Over the past couple of months, even that drive to the supermarket is coming at a cost.
Now, imagine having to drive for a living and still having to pay out of pocket. That's the case for truck drivers who haul loads for various companies using trucks they either own or lease.
"Oh, it's killing me," said Junior Cumbus from Georgia. "When I first started out, it cost $300 to fill it up. Now it takes $700."
Cumbus travels all over the country using his own truck he leases to haul loads for various companies. Because he's not an employee of a company, he has to pay out of pocket to drive.
The same goes for Lee Snow who stopped at Big Charlie's Truck Plaza in Virginia Beach. He said filling up his tank is starting to feel like a big investment for a short-term solution.
"It's really crazy paying the prices at the pump. I've never seen it this high," said Snow. "Most people are complaining about how much it is and how much it takes to fill the truck up."
To top it off, truck drivers like Snow and Cumbus are not only swiping their own credit cards at the pump but say their income isn't matching what they're spending.
"Even though I'm pulling the same freight, the dollar amount is going downhill on account of fuel. My fuel went from an average of $1,300 a week to $2,500 to $2,600 a week," said Cumbus. "They're not coming up to match the gas prices."
Some truck drivers like Snow and Cumbus say they have to be picky and choose companies willing to pay them higher rates to meet the rising cost of diesel fuel.
AAA says the average cost regular gas price for Hampton Roads is about $4.26 a gallon, but that is still about 14-cents cheaper than the national average.