CENTRAL TEXAS — Allen Harris said it normally costs around $45 to fill his truck, but lately that price has soared.
“You can see I have a Chevy truck and I have a big body. It takes about sixty dollars to fill up and it doesn’t last long,” Harris said.
When you drive like "Big Al" does, every stop at the pump adds up.
“We want those gas prices to be a little lower so we can do a little bit more mileage. I drive my truck back-and-forth. It takes me 45 minutes to an hour to drive back-and-forth. So you can imagine how much I use in a week. It’s like a car note,” Harris said.
Big Al said he seen prices as high as $3.79 a gallon over the past few weeks.
According to AAA Spokesperson Dainel Armbruster, the rise is due to several factors including crude oil prices.
“Crude prices make up about 50% of the cost of a gallon of gas. Crude prices are up relatively $14 compared to where they were in the start of June,” Armbruster said.
Other factors like heat and travel also played a factor into the price jump at the pump.
However, Armbruster said we typically see prices fall after the end of summer.
“We see a drop in demand because kids go back to school, you don’t have summer vacations anymore. Also, there is the switch over to winter blend gas which occurs in the fall. That is cheaper to can produce and usually those savings pass on to the consumer,” Armbruster said.
If history continues to repeat itself, soon it should be easier for Big Al to fill up the tank.
“A man like me, I need my big body. I can’t go in a little small car. I got long legs, I’m 6’1, I can’t be in a small car. I need a big body. Gas prices definitely need to go down,” Harris said.
