Need gasoline in southern Colorado?

LoboGunLeather

LoboGunLeather

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Interesting events here in southern Colorado, particularly the areas of Pueblo and Canon City. People pulling into gas stations and finding the pumps shut down, no gasoline to be found.

Pueblo gas pumps dry due to national truck driver shortage – Colorado News Today

It seems there is plenty of gasoline in the supply line and regional terminals, but an extreme shortage of qualified drivers for the delivery trucks (CDL license with Hazmat endorsements, etc).

Some reports are linking this to the Covid-19 pandemic episode, reporting that truck driving schools have been closed for months, thus retiring drivers and those who went on to other employment opportunities are not being adequately replaced.

Could it be as simple as qualified drivers sitting at home while drawing extended unemployment rather than going back to work as the economy gets moving again?

Inquiring minds want to know! I am down to barely a half-tank of gas so I will need some help before long.
 
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It’s gonna take awhile to work all of the kinks out of this mess.Money usually talks when there’s a labor shortage though
 
I saw a news item several months ago where it said the U.S. was going to be short 100,000 heavy truck drivers over the next decade.

I think I need to go do a refresher on driving heavy trucks (I have the licenses, just not the experience in the last 37+ years) and then see what i would have to do to drive in the U.S. I imagine there is a truck driving school or two somewhere.

Three months at a time on short term contract in America when I retire could be just what I am looking for :D:D:D:D:D:D
 
It’s a shame our educational system doesn’t offer more pathways to the skilled trades. Not everyone is cut out for a marketable four year degree and there isn’t a lot of demand for someone with a bachelors in underwater basket weaving. Carpenters, mechanics, plumbers, HVAC technicians and truck drivers can earn a good living and support a family.

Driving a big rig is a dangerous occupation and certainly wouldn’t be my first choice. Hauling 80,000 lbs of gasoline makes it even worse. :eek:
 
Maybe they read all that stuff about getting replaced by self-driving vehicles.

Hard to say really. Most likely there are multiple reasons. I did read an analysis claiming a lot of them just retired during the shutdown. The average age of a truck driver is 55 (per BLS). That's an average so there's plenty that were older.

Many were going to retire in a few years anyway. Especially the Union guys with pensions. Pandemic comes along and they get laid off, collect generous unemployment for more than a year then file for their pension & social security. They were going to retire anyway. Now they don't want to go back. Which is somewhat of a problem if you've already filed for pensions and social security.
 
LoboGunLeather said:
Interesting events here in southern Colorado, particularly the areas of Pueblo and Canon City. People pulling into gas stations and finding the pumps shut down, no gasoline to be found.

Pueblo gas pumps dry due to national truck driver shortage – Colorado News Today

It seems there is plenty of gasoline in the supply line and regional terminals, but an extreme shortage of qualified drivers for the delivery trucks (CDL license with Hazmat endorsements, etc).

Some reports are linking this to the Covid-19 pandemic episode, reporting that truck driving schools have been closed for months, thus retiring drivers and those who went on to other employment opportunities are not being adequately replaced.

Could it be as simple as qualified drivers sitting at home while drawing extended unemployment rather than going back to work as the economy gets moving again?

Inquiring minds want to know! I am down to barely a half-tank of gas so I will need some help before long.
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Commenting on motor fuels! I live rural with only a few gas stations relatively close. I tend to keep a few 5 gallon cans of gas and diesel available in the back garage. Its about 50 yards from the house so if anything goes wrong our house is safe. Our vechicle are either parked in front of the house or in the under house garage. I swap the cans out regular so fuel is kept fresh and I add stabilizer as insurance. Especially winters up here can be interesting so most all year around residents are prepared.

Wont help you today but if you have safe storage consider having some gas available at home.
 
Just up to Trinidad, Walsenburg, La Vega, Alamosa, Antonitio.
Plenty of Petrol!
A bit high priced!
I gassed up in Raton and didn’t again until I was South of Santa Fe.
Way Down Yonder on the Indian Nation,
riding my Toyota through the Reservation.
 
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I still have my CDL, and no plan to use it for a lot of reasons. It's often a hard life and crummy job. Keeping a hazmat endorsement is a pain; I had one until about 17 years ago and had to pay more than I had on me at the time to keep it (the test fee did not count to the license cost) and now it takes fingerprinting. The last time I looked, there was not place within 100 miles to get my prints done for that purpose (otherwise I could get them done at work, about 30 feet from my office).

I'd bet a lot of money that the increased unemployment comp levels of the covid period are not even close to enough to make up for not working, especially for CDL/hazmat holders. Much of what we see of people not returning to/taking some of the lower end jobs is that the jobs sucked anyway and when they had to do something else to live, they eventually found a better job. I see people who are treated terribly at work, and I am not sure who is worse - the customers or the bosses.
 
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s&wchad said:
It’s a shame our educational system doesn’t offer more pathways to the skilled trades. Not everyone is cut out for a marketable four year degree and there isn’t a lot of demand for someone with a bachelors in underwater basket weaving. Carpenters, mechanics, plumbers, HVAC technicians and truck drivers can earn a good living and support a family.
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I pointed out the same to my niece recently (a stuck up little liberal), and she was aghast. She wondered why I would want to "condemn" a portion of the population to "demeaning" work. One has to wonder where she thinks she is getting her food, gasoline, and other necessities of life, as well as who she is going to call when her toilet is backed up.
 
Update: Wife just came in, filled up her car with no problems this morning.

Hopefully just a little glitch in scheduling and deliveries. I guess we will see.
 
Sistema1927 said:
I pointed out the same to my niece recently (a stuck up little liberal), and she was aghast. She wondered why I would want to "condemn" a portion of the population to "demeaning" work. One has to wonder where she thinks she is getting her food, gasoline, and other necessities of life, as well as who she is going to call when her toilet is backed up.
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Depending on where and who you work for the trades can be very demeaning. I became self employed for that reason
 
arjay said:
Depending on where and who you work for the trades can be very demeaning. I became self employed for that reason
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Different strokes for different folks I took early retirement with a very good pension and medical insurance at 55 and now enjoy a comfortable lifestyle.

Did get my hands quite messy at times but never felt demeaned!:)
 
NYlakesider said:
Different strokes for different folks I took early retirement with a very good pension and medical insurance at 55 and now enjoy a comfortable lifestyle.

Did get my hands quite messy at times but never felt demeaned!:)
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I became very picky about who I worked for. It was not so much the clientele,but low level management ;-)
 
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Drivers not getting it

Sell very large A/C systems that have to trucked all over US. Our freight costs since January have gone up by over 30%. Per the large companies we use, its due to insurance increases, fuel increases and not enough drivers for the rigs.

Sure hope some of the increase is finding its way into the drivers pockets, but kind of doubt it.
 
CDL drivers get frequent drug tests, including cannabis. That wouldn't be a problem for recruitment in CO would it?
 
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