OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — It's no secret: the price of gas keeps climbing higher and higher. AAA reports the national average is $4.76 a gallon. In Nebraska and Iowa, it's a tad lower but at nearly $4.50.
For motorists like Michelle Paulson, it's hard on the checkbook. She's making a "change" by renting a U-Haul to move from one house to another. But the prices at the pump are making moves she'd rather not see.
"It's a struggle; makes you not want to drive, that's for sure," Paulson said.
For those in fuel-dependent jobs like lawn mowing, the struggle is all too real.
"I'm putting out close to $600 a week — just in gas alone — just to fill my entire cruise," Dylan Miller, the owner of lawn service "Lawn Rangers" said.
The price of gas makes him increase his prices by $5 to $10 more for certain customers. But that's proven to be a breaking point for some.
"Last yea, I was averaging, sorry I had 126 accounts, now I have about 90 so I lost close to 30," Miller said.
That hits him hard: he's lost $5,000 to $10,000 a month.
"Hoping that it will eventually plateau out as far as prices go, and they'll come back down, so we don't have to keep going," Miller said.
Moving company "Two Men and a Truck" faces similar challenges.
"In 2019, pre-COVID, we spent roughly $138,000 on fuel. This year, we're projecting $280,000 on fuel which is nearly double," Shannon Beadle, the General Manager for Omaha's branch, said.
Beadle fears the price of diesel could reach $6.00 a gallon.
"We probably will have to ultimately increase our moving rates. Hopefully not a lot, just so that we come out even is all we need to do," Beadle said.
It's hoping for the best and expecting the worst.
"It's frustrating in that we don't know it will end, there's no end in sight and right now everything's saying it's only going to get worse," Beadle said.
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