LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — As drivers in Nevada and around the country wait for gas prices to drop, the owner of a Las Vegas trucking company told 8 News Now the extra cost is crippling.
“Listen, I’m giving it my all,” Phillip Scherer said. “I could laugh, I could cry, I definitely have my days.”
In a struggle to stay afloat, Sherer shared his frustration with 8 News Now. He owns Phillip’s Roadway Services, a local, small-scale trucking company he said is on the brink of bankruptcy, largely due to rising gas prices.
“It has crippled me,” Scherer said. “And I would ask for more money, but I can’t.”
The company’s 11 18-wheeler trucks run on diesel, which on average costs about $5.17 per gallon here in Nevada and $4.49 per gallon nationally, according to AAA.
For a closer look at gas prices click here.
“If gas was half, of course what it should be, then hey I would have half my money,” Scherer told 8 News Now. “I wouldn’t be spending $150,000 on fuel a month.”
He said that $150,000 is about half of his company’s monthly earnings and double his budget.
“I’m just robbing Peter to pay Paul every day,” Scherer said.
Though analysts predict a steep drop in fuel costs this coming season, Scherer said he just doesn’t have time to waste.
“I keep telling myself hey you can do this,” he said. “You’re going to do this.”
Scherer told 8 News Now he needs to turn things around in just a couple of weeks or the company goes under.
“I’m asking for an opportunity to have more work,” he explained.
Therefore, Scherer told 8 News Now he is doing everything he can to keep things going, while he also hopes to see something change on a larger scale.
“I haven’t given up yet,” he concluded. “So, anything would help, for sure.”
For more information on fuel trends and expected impacts of the current conflict in the Middle East, click here.