Hey OPEC, my dog is freezing
It’s getting less worth it for me to drive to business meetings in New York from my home in Wilmington, Delaware. Amtrak has been seeing a lot of me lately.
And it’s been freezing in my home office because I refuse to turn up the heat. I don’t care if the dog is shivering.
I don’t know about you guys but I’ve been trying to change my habits to deal with rising energy prices. Not that it’s making much of a difference.
No matter how hard small business owners try, it’s typically not enough to offset being gouged at the pump or by utilities, or the rise in vendor prices, caused by higher fuel costs. The increases inevitably lead to a big bite out of the bottom line.
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| Saul Loeb / AFP - Getty Images |
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A survey by the
National Federation of Independent Business found that about 75 percent of small businesses deal with rising energy costs by lowering earnings or profits.
It’s not that entrepreneurs aren’t trying to be green. About 57 percent of those polled said reducing energy consumption and conservation efforts are also on the list.
But more often than not, business will take the hit. Nearly 30 percent of small businesses will raise their prices to deal with the hikes; 27 percent will cut or delay business investments; 13 percent will take the axe out and cut employees or not fill openings; and the same amount say they'll freeze or cut employee wages and benefits to deal with the problem.
I decided to put a call out to small businesses around the country to find out some of the innovative ways they’re handling this latest fuel crisis.
Here are some of their answers:
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Commonwealth Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation has started using nitrogen rather than oxygen to inflate the tires of its fleet. Nitrogen has a longer life, so to speak, than oxygen does. As it breaks down less frequently it keeps the tires inflated at the proper pressure longer, which leads to better fuel mileage. Commonwealth is using nitrogen in its fleet of cars at the Boston offices, and will be implementing it at its New York offices when nitrogen becomes available for use there. Commonwealth has also gone out and purchased a small fleet of Toyota Prius and some flex-fuel vehicles to combat the rising price in gasoline.
*With no options for environmentally-friendly moving trucks, President Ram Katalan of
NorthStar Moving Corporation has to seek out other ways to deal with rising energy prices. He purchases his gas exclusively from Alliance Fleet, a company that has one of the most comprehensive inventories, representing Exxon Mobil and Petro Canada brand bulk lubricants and oil products and as a result, sells gasoline at a low price—they also offer biodiesel.
Ram also ensures that his team of movers refrains from idling between projects and makes truck maintenance a high priority for efficiency.
* To combat higher gas prices and to reduce pollution
Advance Commercial Movers/
Molloy Bros Moving and Storage has purchased trucks that have powerful batteries that allow the trucks to operate lift gates when the trucks are off. This saves many gallons of gas, especially during large moves and there is also an environmental benefit. When the engines are not needed to power the lifts the can be turned off and this limits air pollution. Particularly beneficial in urban areas like New York City.
What are you all doing to mitigate the fuel hell?
