Gas prices in Southern California have hit a six-year high, reaching an average of nearly $4.26 per gallon.
Gas Buddy price analyst Patrick DeHaan told KNX that soaring demand and tight supply mean prices are likely to keep rising throughout the summer.
“LA could have the distinction of being one of the few areas across the country that sets new all time record highs this summer,” said DeHaan.
“LA’s all-time record high price currently sits at about $4.65 a gallon. We are only about 40 cents a gallon away from that.”
DeHaan says that supply chain issues have also helped drive prices higher. Gas prices in particular have taken a hit because there aren’t enough tanker truck drivers.
Between 20% to 25% of tank trucks in the fleet are not running this summer due to a lack of qualified drivers, according to the National Tank Truck Carriers, the industry's trade group.
"We've been dealing with a driver shortage for a while, but the pandemic took that issue and metastasized it," said Ryan Streblow, the executive vice president of the NTTC, told CNN Business. "It certainly has grown exponentially."
Many companies have taken to complaining about a shortage in qualified labor, though experts say complaints of labor shortages are not quite accurate.
The White House established a Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force to monitor and address short-term supply issues throughout the economy.
On top of pandemic-related supply shortages, gas prices are effected by the price of crude oil. According to the California Energy Commission, a barrel of crude oil went from less than $50 at the start of the year to around $65 now.
CEC spokeswoman Lindsay Buckley told the San Francisco Chronicle in an email that the price of crude oil has increased since the start of the year, which increases gas prices by about 38 cents per gallon and accounts for around 60% of increased prices.
Now that coronavirus restrictions have mostly lifted around the country, more people are driving. That increase in demand also contributes to an increase in prices, according to Buckley.
Finally, Californians pay a gas tax on every gallon to help pay for transportation projects in the state. The gas tax is set to increase on July 1. It will rise to 51.1 cents per gallon to account for inflation.