LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Amid the war between the United States and Iran, diesel and gas prices continue to rise — and moving companies are feeling the pressure.
The national average price of diesel is well above $6 per gallon, a jump of more than 60 percent compared to a year ago.
Andrew Carey, owner of 2 Dudes Moving in Lexington, said his company is working to absorb the added costs rather than pass them on to customers.
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"We're not trying to push any additional cost to the client while we're absorbing this during these, you know, kind of turbulent times," Carey said.
Carey said his team is focused on smarter routing and scheduling to cut down on unnecessary fuel use.
"We're trying to mitigate any type of extra driving that we don't need to do. If we're doing multiple moves in a day for the same crew, making sure that they are geographically close together so that we can make sure there's not extra miles wasted. Grouping jobs geographically...anything else we can do to reduce unnecessary mileage," Carey said.
The financial impact is significant. Each of the company's large trucks holds a 100-gallon tank.
"Our large trucks have 100 gallon tanks so the cost to fill up each tank is close to $600 each time," Carey said.
2 Dudes Moving operates both locally and on long-distance jobs. Most of its out-of-state moves are in bordering states, but the company has traveled to Texas and Florida.
"We've been to Houston this year, we've been to North Florida this year," Carey said.
Despite the strain, Carey said the focus remains on pushing forward.
"At some point you gotta just deal with the problems in front of you and try to move forward as best as you can," Carey said.
2 Dudes Moving charges a mileage fee for jobs outside of Fayette County. As of now, the company has not increased that fee despite rising diesel and gas prices.
During preparations, Carey adds that 2 Dudes Moving provides a free estimate, going out to take a look at each individual house to make sure "there are no surprises on move day."
