"They are just giving it up, selling their stuff and going to work for some big [trucking] company," the Raleigh trucker said.

The high price of regular gasoline usually gets all the attention, but the price of diesel has been steadily climbing. On Tuesday, a gallon of diesel was $3.60 in the Triangle, while nationally it hit a record $3.68 a gallon.

If prices keep climbing, Funderburk said, he'll park his semi, too.

"I'm going to make one more trip," Funderburk, 58, said Tuesday. "When I get back, I'll make my decision."

The average tractor-trailer gets just 5 to 6 miles per gallon, and, at current prices, it can cost more than $700 to fill the empty tanks on most long-haul trucks. Those kinds of prices are making it too expensive for many truckers to keep hauling goods.

Todd Spencer, executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association in Grain Valley, Mo., estimates as much as 10 percent of the association's 161,293 members have parked their trucks.

"Right now they are likely spending $70,000 to $100,000 a year just for fuel," Spencer said. "We are talking about losing half of their net income for the year. They simply cannot survive."

The ramifications go far beyond the trucking industry. With most of this country's goods transported by truck, fewer drivers can lead to strained supplies while higher fuel costs can be passed along to consumers who are already paying more for food and other goods.

The high cost of fuel is a relatively new problem for trucking companies. Until a few years ago, diesel fuel -- a byproduct of oil -- was generally less expensive than regular gas. For instance, when Funderburk started driving his truck in 2002, diesel fuel in the Triangle averaged about $1.40 a gallon. But government mandates to make diesel fuel cleaner along with higher oil prices have steadily pushed up the price of diesel. The higher costs coupled with a slowing economy have been hard on the entire trucking industry, but especially so on small companies and independent drivers.

And it doesn't look as if there is going to be relief in price any time soon, said Tom Crosby, a spokesman for AAA Carolinas.

Crosby said that the United States' already-strained oil supply has been worsened by a temporary refinery shutdown in Texas and minor glitches at other production sites. On Monday, the price of a barrel of light, sweet crude oil was a record $103.

Although most drivers receive a fuel surcharge from the customers, the amount rarely covers the entire fuel bill.

For example, on a recent trip, Funderburk's fuel allowance was $2,200. But his total fuel bill for the trip was $2,500, because the price kept rising. As he drove back to Raleigh, he noticed the cost per gallon had jumped 15 cents in almost every state he passed through. "I had to go into my pocket for the extra $300," he said.

"In theory, the fuel surcharge is supposed to cover the fuel cost," said Charlie Diehl, president of the N.C. Trucking Association. "But when [diesel costs] go up rapidly, it's unlikely that the fuel surcharge will keep up with the rate."

The weak economy isn't helping truckers, either.

With the downturn in the housing market, there are fewer construction supplies to ship. And consumers are starting to put the brakes on spending, which means less cargo to move across the country. Fewer shipments have meant that many drivers have longer layovers while they wait to get a load to drive back home. Layovers also add to their travel costs since drivers have to run their truck engines throughout the night to keep warm.

Next page >