Gas shortage not an issue in Michiana ahead of July 4 weekend

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, IN. – 91 percent of Americans traveling this Fourth of July weekend will be traveling by car. A spokesperson with AAA said this holiday weekend should be one of the busiest holidays we’ve seen in a while. Fortunately, the gas shortage is not affecting everyone. 

"There may be some markets in some areas where there’s some outages and this is due to the shortage of truck drivers,” said Molly Hart, a spokesperson with AAA Auto Club Group. 

The shortage is only hitting certain areas in the United States because there are just not enough tank truck drivers. During the pandemic, many drivers left for companies like Amazon or FedEx to help with demand. 

“If your local gasoline station is without gas, most likely the next one down the road will have fuel,” said Hart.

ABC57 checked with some gas stations around Michiana, they tell us the shortage isn’t hitting them. But, even though drivers shouldn’t see empty stations throughout Michiana, they’re already noticing something else.

“I’ve heard of shortages, but I haven’t personally experienced any,” said Francisco Delgado. “I have experienced the high prices, but not any shortages.”

Prices are going up. According to AAA, this week, alone, the national average for a gallon of regular gas has increased three cents, to $3.12. 

“They’ve been high, it's always been pretty much above three. I haven’t paid less than three dollars yet,” said Ryan Robinson.   

If you do end up in a situation where you’re stranded without fuel, AAA recommends requesting a tow truck operator to bring gas to you.