Las Vegas gas prices rise again; US average hits $5

Las Vegas Valley gas prices have set record highs in each of the past seven days, with Saturday’s mark sitting at $5.57 per gallon of regular unleaded fuel, according to AAA.

Saturday’s price was a 2-cent spike over Friday, a 20-cent jump in the past week and a 44-cent increase over the past month.

Nevada’s statewide average was at $5.64 per gallon Saturday, also a record high, jumping 2 cents overnight. The state average being higher than the Las Vegas Valley is largely because of Reno hitting a $6 per gallon average.

“Fuel prices are crazy lately,” said long-haul trucker Dale White, 72, of Galena, Illinois, during a Saturday evening stop at the Petro Travel Center on North Hollywood Boulevard near the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Diesel fuel also set a record Saturday in Las Vegas, at $5.97 per gallon, according to AAA.

White said on his trip from Wisconsin to California, then back to Illinois, he’s been looking at an average of roughly $5.50 a gallon to fill up his 18-wheeler.

“I do 4,200 miles a week, and I’m spending somewhere around $5,000 a week, $5,100 for fuel only,” said White, who expressed frustration with what he sees as a President Joe Biden energy policy that has caused prices to spike.

“We’ve got to get the prices down,” he said. “It’s not just affecting us truckers. It is affecting everyone.”

Trucker John Baker of Mount Vernon, Texas, said during a stop in North Las Vegas on Saturday that the gas prices are harming profit margins for companies. He said expenses on the road are up for truckers, too, and that tax deduction changes made during the administration of President Donald Trump has made for a triple whammy of increased gas prices, fewer deductions and increased costs just to survive on the road.

“Laundry has gone up. Food’s gone up … They are charging $14 to $16 for a shower. Used to be $12,” Baker said.

The Reno area surpassed the $6 per gallon mark Thursday, increasing to a $6.10 per gallon average mark Friday, and up to $6.11 Saturday. Nearby Mineral County had an average of $6.10 Saturday.

Nevada isn’t the only state seeing skyrocketing prices. The U.S. average also has been hitting record highs daily. The country’s average price hit a never-before-seen $5 per gallon mark Saturday.

“Supply and demand is a main cause of high prices,” AAA spokesman John Treanor said. “Supply of oil is down, causing the price of a barrel to rise. There is high demand for gas in America.”

Although Treanor couldn’t directly tie it to the record gas prices, AAA has seen more calls in Nevada for motorists who’ve run out of gas. There has been a 24 percent increase in calls in 2022, with 577 calls this year through June 1, compared with 464 during the same time period in 2021.

“AAA has had more calls for empty tanks, but I can’t attribute that directly to rising costs, I can’t give you a specific reason,” Treanor said.

Costco and Sam’s Club locations had the cheapest gasoline available Saturday evening in Las Vegas, at $5.08 per gallon, according to GasBuddy.com.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter. Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter. Review-Journal digital producer Marvin Clemons contributed to this report.