\n<\/p>\n
Since Rick Wood opened Western Automotive Transport in Kalispell 37 years ago, where his employees regularly drive car carriers to places like Helena, Spokane and Seattle, his customers historically have never asked him about surcharges.<\/p>\n
But since the average price of diesel fuel in Montana has increased by more than $1.50 in the last year, and now hovers around $5 per gallon, Wood\u2019s customers like the Kalispell Automotive Group and other local car dealerships have all inquired about a fuel surcharge.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t bring it up, which is really unusual,\u201d Wood said.<\/p>\n
After decades in the contract carrier business, Wood has a good working relationship with his customers and he normally doesn\u2019t add a surcharge for anything unless it\u2019s absolutely necessary.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are going to implement a surcharge next month that goes directly to the cost of fuel,\u201d Wood said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been in business long enough and we have loyal customers that understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fuel prices are just one of many challenges Wood has faced in the last two years. Between inflation and the workforce shortage, he\u2019s about to increase his employee\u2019s wages by 10%. The lack of inventory is also putting a strain on his customers, boosting prices even higher.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re in kind of a unique situation,\u201d Wood said. \u201cWe have as much business as we can handle. It\u2019s terribly hard finding employees, not only for the drivers of our car carriers, but mechanics and welders are all pretty scarce. There\u2019s no end in sight for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
At Glacier Precast Concrete, owner Erik Powell transports cured septic tanks, retaining walls and other road infrastructure from his facility in Kalispell.<\/p>\n
While most of his customers are local, Powell also transports concrete to Eureka, Broadus and occasionally to northern Idaho and Canada, and he recently increased his transportation price by 18%, or $1 per mile.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the most part, people are pretty understanding,\u201d Powell said. \u201cThey see the news and customers are willing to pay for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
A few of Powell\u2019s customers have been apprehensive to continue doing business and some are waiting to see if fuel prices go down, but he says the demand has typically remained high.<\/p>\n
As business owners who consume large amounts of fuel ask their customers to help bear some of the burden, directors at the Flathead Food Bank and North Valley Food Bank are noticing more clients seeking resources to offset the strain of inflation.<\/p>\n
North Valley Food Bank Executive Director Sophie Albert has seen steady demand since mid-January and there were 15 new households at the food bank last week.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s unique and it\u2019s probably due to the high gas prices,\u201d Albert said.<\/p>\n
Flathead Food Bank Executive Director Jamie Quinn can\u2019t tell if the rising demand is solely due to rising fuel prices or general inflation, but she suspects both are taking a toll on people.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe food prices have gone up significantly on top of gas,\u201d Quinn said. \u201cIt\u2019s a combination of the general inflation of food and everything else that\u2019s been a huge impact on people. We see an average of about five to 10 new people each shift.\u201d<\/p>\n
Quinn frequently hears customers worrying about making ends meet every month, and as fuel prices continue to hover around $4 per gallon locally, she doesn\u2019t foresee anything changing soon.<\/p>\n
As employee wages rise with inflation, Quinn says the senior citizens and disabled individuals who come to the food bank are struggling the most.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you come to the food bank and you\u2019re disabled or a senior, your income isn\u2019t going to change,\u201d Quinn said. \u201cThe hardest thing is we see wages go up but we are not seeing social security or disability go up. You\u2019re not going to be able to budget your way out of this and inflation hurts the most at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n <\/div>\n
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
\nn.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;
\nn.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
\nt.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,
\ndocument,’script’,’https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js’);<\/p>\n
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)
\n {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
\n n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};
\n if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;
\n n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
\n t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];
\n s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,’script’,
\n ‘https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js’);
\n fbq(‘init’, ‘175068141247464’);
\n fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);<\/p>\n