'I'm Begging You': MAGA Trucker Pleads With Trump To End War as $6-A-Gallon Diesel Leaves $275K Rig Sitting Idle

A small-business trucker who has backed Donald Trump since his 2015 campaign launch has publicly begged the president to end the war in Iran, saying record diesel prices have made it too costly to send his £205,224 ($275,000) rig out on the road.

In a video shared on X and widely circulated this week, the unidentified man, wearing a T-shirt bearing the logo of A.F. Pacillo General Contractors, appealed directly to Trump as national average price of diesel breached $6 a gallon for the first time on record.

The US average retail price for diesel hit $6.05 a gallon on 11 September, up more than 60 per cent from a year earlier, according to figures from the American Automobile Association (AAA).

'End This War' Trucker Pleads Amid Fuel Squeeze

'President Trump, I've supported you since you came down the escalator. I still support you... I'm begging you, you've got to end it. You've got to do something. Diesel fuel just broke $6 a gallon. This truck behind me is $275,000. I can't afford to let it leave the garage now,' the man said, according to footage first reported by The Mirror.

He went on to describe the arithmetic crushing his margins. 'My fuel is doubled. I can't keep hitting the customers, the truck makes $1,000 a day, you're burning $300 a day in fuel... that truck makes me no money,' he said, adding that tyre costs have also surged.

Despite his frustration, he voiced continued, if strained, loyalty to the president, later adding: 'You gotta end this in Iran, get it done, finish it,' and: 'I'm imploring... my company is just my two kids and me.'

Diesel Hits Record High Amid Iran Conflict

The trucker's plea comes as US diesel prices hit record highs amid disruption to global fuel supplies. Diesel reached a record £4.36 ($5.85) a gallon in early September, surpassing the previous peak set in June 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, before climbing further still.

By 16 September, diesel had reached an all-time high of around £4.71 ($6.31) a gallon, according to AAA, up more than 70 per cent from a year earlier. AAA subsequently recorded a national average of $6.3956 on 17 September, setting a new record.

Regional disparities have made matters worse for West Coast hauliers, with California diesel prices already surpassing £5.97 ($8) a gallon.

Small Fleets Bear the Brunt of Rising Costs

For small trucking operators, fuel is typically the second-largest operating cost after driver pay, and the strain has been building for months.

Trucks moved roughly 72.7 per cent of the nation's freight by weight in 2024, according to the American Trucking Associations, meaning the diesel surge is raising concerns about costs across grocery and retail supply chains.

The Independent Grocers Alliance, which has more than 7,500 stores globally, estimates that fuel-related costs can account for 15 to 30 per cent of the total cost of some food products.

The White House has sought to address the pressure. Trump has issued repeated 90-day extensions of a Jones Act waiver, allowing foreign-flagged vessels to move fuel between US ports, with the administration seeking to ease transportation bottlenecks and fuel-price pressures.

William Doyle, a former commissioner of the US Federal Maritime Commission, has questioned the impact of such waivers, saying the effect would be minimal because oil prices are largely determined by the world market rather than shipping costs.

Political Stakes Rise Ahead of Midterms

The economic pressure comes in an election year. Diesel's climb past £4.48 ($6) a gallon has added pressure on farming and freight ahead of November's midterm elections.

For the trucker at the centre of the video, though, the concern is not abstract politics but survival. As long as diesel remains above £4.48 ($6) a gallon, his £205,224 ($275,000) truck will keep sitting in the garage.