Gas On The Go!

Gas prices are on the rise.

The price of gasoline in the United States is above $4.00. Of course, Americans are feeling the pain and President Joe Biden is taking the heat.

Things to understand with gas prices.

Drive-offs will increase with companies that allow motorists to pay after pumping. Maintain well lighting and security cameras at pumps that are located to furthest from the station. Good cameras and video surveillance can deter thieves from stealing. Gas stations will prosecute theft of fuel. Most gas stations rely on "good faith" behavior of motorists. If theft continues to rise at stations, they will require pay before pumping. Do not stop thieves. Companies are insured for fuel theft and if you can get as much information from the drive-off, the company can pursue pressing charges against those who steal. Don't risk your life for a few dollars. Shoplifters are likely to be caught about 95% of the time.

Be aware of your surroundings. Thieves will steal fuel from a motorist who sits in their vehicles or go into the gas station while the fuel is being pumped into their vehicle. Thieves only need a few seconds of a motorist being distracted by being on the phone or inside the gas station buying products to make off with more than $20 dollars in fuel. Do not leave purses, phones, electronic devices, children or pets inside vehicles. Thieves look for opportunities and having your keys inside a vehicle while running and pumping gas is the gift that keeps on giving.

Gasoline is a highly combustible liquid. It is extremely flammable and can cause severe injury if you ingest, inhale or improperly use in unauthorized vehicles. Do not leave an engine running while pumping gas. Turn off your vehicle. Please do not fill gas inside the trunk or back of a pickup truck. Please sit your "red" gasoline, "yellow or green" diesel, your "orange" E75-E85 or your "blue" kerosene containers on the ground and please pump them. If you can't lift the container, call for an attendant to help you if they are available. Do not smoke or vape near the pumps. Smoking is considered dangerous near flammable liquids.  

Do not put unauthorize fuel inside your vehicle. Each vehicle has a specific grade of fuel. Do not use diesel, E-75 or E-85 in non-equipped vehicles or motorize equipment. Those brands of fuel can severely damage your car, truck, motorcycle or motorized equipment.

With technology improving, the thieves are looking for ways to install skimming devices. Most states require gas stations to be able to prevent card readers from being tampered. They have variable seal on many pumps where card readers are. If the seal is broken, the gas station must notify the police. Skimmers look similar to card readers. It's always best to pay inside but if you are to do transactions out at the pump, notice any alterations on the pump or alterations around the card reader.

Again, may state auditors prefer gas station pumps free of debris and graffiti. Some people put political or tag gas pumps. It's an unnecessary distraction to gas station workers to clean off graffiti, religious and political propaganda. Please respect their jobs by not tagging the pumps. You could be criminally charged with vandalism and they can bill you for property damage.

Get fuel on days like Sunday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturdays. Gas prices can go up any day of the week. However, on days that are considered slow, it would be best to fuel on these days instead of Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

Also use the apps or their fuel savers promotions. Buy a couple cups of coffee and get .25 off of fuel. 

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has rattled the global market. Many Americans want the U.S. to end importing oil from Russia. With Russia being the third largest producer of oil and natural gas, cutting them loose could put America into a global recession. The dedicate measures the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, the European Union, Switzerland, Australia, Japan and the United Nations are imposing are not stopping the Russian Federation from bombing Ukraine.

The thoughts of a "no fly zone" are being chatted by the armchair generals in Washington and junk food media. If we impose a "no fly zone" on Russia, it will be a precursor to World War III. 

Americans are already feeling the pain of rising prices. Not just in the U.S. but across the world. Inflation is due to the need for products and the supply chain doesn't have enough to maintain order. Businesses must raise costs to offset the demand. That means if we have 200 products but 300 purchasers, that means 100 is not available. That leads to a decline in product and the prices rise to keep the product shelved.

The national average price for a gallon of gas hit $4.06 on Monday, up a staggering 45 cents from a week ago, to reach its highest level since July 2008, according to AAA.

Analysts say consumers can expect new record high gas prices as soon as this week, as strong demand and supply disruptions, fueled by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, send crude oil prices soaring.

"A big price factor for the market is risk, and at the moment this entire escalation for the conflict appears very risky," AAA spokesperson Devin Gladden told ABC News. "The market puts that risk premium back onto consumers."

GasBuddy's Patrick De Haan tweeted the national average for a gallon of gas has now increased at its fastest weekly pace since Hurricane Katrina, adding prices have already eclipsed their all-time highs, according to GasBuddy data.

Crude oil prices, which account for more than half of the cost of retail gasoline, have spiked roughly 30% in the nearly two weeks since the war began.

"The big question will be how high crude goes," Gladden said.

Oil had already been edging higher at the start of the year, as consumer demand outpaced global supply. Major oil producers slashed supply during the pandemic – and it takes time to ramp up production again as more drivers hit the roads and travelers take flights, requiring more fuel.

"We were already in a relatively tight market," John Kilduff, an energy expert and partner at Again Capital, told ABC News.

Traders fear the market will become even tighter if Russia's oil supply to the rest of the world is cut off. Russia is the third-largest producer of crude oil in the world, accounting for about 12 percent of global crude exports, according to the Information Energy Agency."The problem is it's a global market," Kilduff said.

There are already signs of supply constraints from Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Analysts at J.P. Morgan estimated last week about 66% of Russian oil is currently struggling to find buyers. A growing number of companies are pulling business from Russia, facing hurdles from new sanctions on the banking and payments system, and fearing global backlash from customers.

"The commercial entities involved in this market are shunning the supply," Kilduff added. "We are already in the process of losing a chunk of Russian crude oil supplies."

Import bans on Russian oil would further exacerbate supply shortages. While the U.S. only imports a fraction of its crude oil from Russia, analysts say a coordinated move between the U.S. and European allies would drastically alter supply to the critical European market.

The International Energy Agency reported European countries imported 34% of their oil from Russia in November 2021, the latest month official oil statistics are available.

Oil traders expect it will take time for other countries to ramp up production and fill the void if that supply is cut off. So as long as oil prices remain near multi-year highs in anticipation of further disruptions in the global market, consumers and businesses will feel the pinch.

"When the price of oil goes up, the cost of everything goes up because oil is used as a component in manufacturing and a range of products," AAA's Gladden said.