Who would ever have thought that in oil-rich Western Canada we would see diesel fuel being rationed? That’s exactly the scenario taking place in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba where a severe shortage of truck diesel fuel was playing havoc with truckers throughout the region. Carriers were seeing their fuel supplies rationed by as much as 10% to 50%. The card-lock privileges for all new accounts were suspended by at least one oil company and the hours that card-lock service was being made available to existing customers were being restricted. We were being told that things would not be returning to normal for at least several weeks, if not for the rest of October and November.
All these shortages are beginning to bother me. It is as if even the first world is not first world anymore. It is one thing if prices go up and down, it is another if there is no fuel to be had at all.
It’s more of an emotional thing then anything else. Of all the problems we face, fuel shortages are least of our worries. The slowing economy is likely to cut demand by so much we will not be worrying about refinery capability for awhile. Though that is cold comfort to Canadian truckers who are trying to ship products right now.