Over the past six years, Bui, who immigrated to the United States from Vietnam when he was 14, has relied on trucking to support his family in San Jos\u00e9. But as the wars in Iran and Ukraine have driven diesel prices to record levels<\/a> \u2014 over $8 per gallon on average in California, up $3 more than a year ago \u2014 Bui and other truckers said they\u2019re struggling to afford loan and insurance payments and meet the high costs of living in the Bay Area, from housing to groceries.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bui said he pays double what he used to\u2014 around $1,400 \u2014 to fill up his 240-gallon tank.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aBefore, you make money. Now, you try to cover the cost. That\u2019s how it works now,\u201d he said. \u201c\u200aWe just live day by day.\u201d<\/p>\n PCC works with approximately 85 licensed motor carriers (among 800 at the port) and owns 10 company trucks. The company relies heavily on the licensed motor carriers \u2014 as opposed to drivers employed by the company \u2014 to cut down on costs, such as leasing and purchasing trucks and paying for fuel and insurance.\u00a0<\/p>\n The company specializes in trucking meat and produce from the Central Valley to the Port of Oakland, where goods are loaded onto ships bound for Asia. This time of year, PCC distributes the Central Valley\u2019s pomegranate and kiwi harvests, having wrapped up shipping honeydew melons out of the Fresno County city of Firebaugh, according to Steve Gardner, director of transportation for PCC.<\/p>\n But the company\u2019s independent truckers have become reluctant to make these long hauls because of high diesel prices, Gardner said. Diesel semi-trucks typically get around 7 miles to the gallon, he said.<\/p>\n The longer prices remain elevated, the less likely truckers will be able to absorb the financial losses, ultimately affecting the price and availability of everyday retail goods, said Severin Borenstein, a petroleum industry expert at UC Berkeley.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aIn the short run, truckers end up eating some of it, and retailers end up eating some of it. But gradually, over time, they can\u2019t keep doing that, and you get less supply and the price goes up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n That\u2019s especially true for goods like produce, which is heavy relative to its value, so the shipping costs are significant, Borenstein said.<\/p>\n Even if the wars were to end tomorrow, the damage<\/a> done by missile and drone strikes to oil fields and refineries in Russia and the Middle East would take months to over a year to repair, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I were a trucker, I would certainly not count on diesel prices getting back to pre-war levels any time in the next many months, possibly more than a year,\u201d he said, referring to the start of the Iran war in late February 2026, when the state\u2019s diesel prices were around $5 a gallon.<\/p>\n Fuel prices in California are typically higher than the rest of the country due to a number of factors<\/a>, namely taxes and the state\u2019s emission reduction programs. The average price for a gallon of diesel in California is currently about $2 higher than the national average, according to AAA<\/a>.<\/p>\n In August, the California Energy Commission approved a $95 million plan<\/a> to expand zero-emission vehicle infrastructure across the state, including heavy-duty kinds for port and freight trucking. Gov. Gavin Newsom said this investment is partly aimed at \u201cbreaking Big Oil\u2019s grip on Californians\u2019 wallets.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/260928-DIESELPRICES-NG-11-KQED.jpg\")
Trucks pull oversized loads into the Port of Oakland where the loads are checked by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Sept. 28, 2026.\u00a0(Nina Glick\/KQED)<\/p>\n![\"View](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/RS50203_IMG_6571-qut.jpg\")
Traffic on Interstate 880 toward Oakland jam-packed with cars and diesel trucks mid-afternoon on June 28, 2021.\u00a0(Joyce Tsai\/KQED)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/GettyImages-1396887368-scaled-e1792528283369.jpg\")
Close-up of a hydrogen fuel cell truck driving on a road. According to the California Air Resources Board, heavy-duty fossil-fuel trucks spew 70% of the state\u2019s smog-forming gases and 80% of carcinogenic diesel pollutants.\u00a0(Aranga87\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n