GREENSBORO, N.C. — Kimberly Carver drove her first truck at 18 years old.

 

What You Need To Know

As fuel prices continue to soar, customers aren't happy

That's definitely the case for some truck drivers

Kimberly Carver has worked in the transportation industry for close to 18 years and never seen fuel prices this high

 

She’s worked in the transportation industry ever since, now as the owner of her own trucking company and a consultant for other drivers.

“It is a male-dominated industry, but I love trucking. And I love helping people get started with trucking, and I love helping them solve problems. That’s my passion," Carver said.

With fuel prices soaring, Carver’s been busy doing what she does best, mentoring others. She says fuel prices may have increased a few years ago but nothing like this.

“You get kind of nervous to say, 'hey, how high is the gas going to go?' But then it goes back to my experience to know that we’ve been in this situation similar before, and you just have to know how to maneuver around it," she said.

Carver earns her living telling drivers how to manage this, so she won’t share her tips. She knows there is frustration across the industry.

“Now that the fuel is low, the brokers use that as an opportunity to try and take advantage of owners to kind of operate at a desperation," Carver said.

Carver says the problem isn’t just the higher fuel prices, which can be in the thousands for carrying one load. If carriers or truckers are being paid by a broker, she says that broker could lower the freight price, so the people carrying the freight make less money.

“It’s really gotten out of control. I see a lot of people are parking their trucks, so it’s going to be hard to get goods transported from place to place," Carver said.

The last thing Carver wants is people panicking and leaving the industry.

"No freight can get moved if you don’t move it. And so we are the most important part of this transaction," she said.

It’s why it’s so important, Carver said, that in times like this truckers know their worth. That means demanding higher rates.

“I hope people will say, 'you know what, I’m not moving my truck for a low price,'" Carver said. "'And you’ll have to bring the price up if you want me to move.' That’s what I hope people will get smart and do.”