BILLINGS — For Daniel Lord, an Uber driver in Billings, the price at the pump is not just an inconvenience - it is the cost of staying in business.
"I typically go through about a half a tank a day on average," Lord said. "Fares have consistently gotten lower and sometimes I gotta, like, go through that extra gas just to make ends meet."
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As the war in Iran drags on and the Strait of Hormuz stays shut, gas prices are skyrocketing to levels not seen in years.
The national average at the pump is over $4, and Montana is not far behind, with Billings averaging $3.73 per gallon on April 6 according to GasBuddy.
Patrick De Haan of GasBuddy said millions of barrels of oil per day are not getting to the global market.
"Essentially 20 million barrels of oil per day is not getting to the global market… It's not necessarily what the US is going to do in Iran or with Iran, it's going to be really focused on whether or not the strait is going to reopen or if we're just going to leave it as is," De Haan said. "Montana's average up 86 cents a gallon from a month ago, and diesel prices now even more dramatic of increases over a dollar a gallon in the last four weeks," De Haan said.
The last time prices hit this high was 2022. In 2023, Montana broke the $4 mark, but it quickly came down.
"Yeah, we haven't seen quite this pace of increase, really, ever. Back in 2022 is the last time it was similar. But this is now a record-setting increase," De Haan said.
Despite the lower fares and higher gas prices, Lord focuses on the positives.
"It's out of pocket. I just pay for it myself," Lord said. "It could be really easy to be negative about gas prices and lower fares and, you know, less business. But, you know, I just really try to be joyous, you know, most of the time and be really enthusiastic."
