The average semi-truck gets about 6.5 miles per gallon, said ArrowTruck.com in an advice post for how to save fuel. TopMark also noted that claims that there are trucks that can somehow get 10 miles per gallon are "a fantastic pipedream."
At a time when the Fox network and Republican politicians are complaining about the high price of fuel, the trucker convoy is showing that the cost of fuel clearly isn't bad enough to deter their driving protest.
As some noticed, the convoy is going to be forced to pay out thousands for just a day of protest. The lowest price for diesel in Hagerstown, Maryland, is $3.93 per gallon, according to GasBuddy, and the highest is $4.56. So, at an average of $4.25 per gallon and the average trip from Hagerstown to I-495, and around the Beltway and back to Hagerstown, is about 184 miles.
That means each drive from Hagerstown, a loop around the Beltway, and back to Hagerstown will cost about $120.32 each trip for one truck. If there are 100 trucks that's over $12,000 in diesel fuel.
Given the disasters abroad, some are asking how many refugees fleeing Ukraine could get hot meals from the World Central Kitchen for that amount.
The truckers intend to increase the number of loops they will make each day. That means, on Monday, they will travel 248 miles for two loops. Day three will be 312 miles. By the end of the week, each truck in the convoy will be using up 440 miles in diesel, which will cost them approximately $287.69 for the trip. For just 20 trucks that's over $5,700. The convoy has raised over $1.5 million. If they count the cost for their return home, that means they're likely to run out of cash fairly quickly.
On Sunday, some of the group got lost and separated, which likely caused them to use up more fuel.
Meanwhile, the Right Side Broadcasting Network showed a three-hour video watching cars driving on the Beltway. Part of the shot was blurred by the fence it sat behind.
I just pulled off near the I-270 interchange and so far six trucks have peeled off after seemingly only completing one of two Beltway laps - as the lead trucks push on for a second.— Zachary Petrizzo (@Zachary Petrizzo) 1646593872
See the mockery of the convoy below:
Truckers bitching about fuel costs but they can take time off to drive all the way to Washington DC in a stupid ass convoy and put diesel in at at 4 bucks a gallon to protest mask mandates that don\u2019t exist is about the dumbest thing I think I have ever heard. Give me a break!— Mark Incha (@Mark Incha) 1646484024
Diesel in DC is $4.26, so if the convoy is going round and round the beltway, it\u2019d be nice to know who\u2019s paying for this comedy.— Unreliable Narrator (@Unreliable Narrator) 1646456775
Zelensky: I need ammunition, not a ride.\n\nFDR: The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.\n\nReagan: Mr. Gorbachev, tear Down This Wall.\n\nLincoln: Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.\n\nTrucker Convoy: We\u2019re mad about wearing masks.pic.twitter.com/VYHXuYCWKg— David Yankovich (@David Yankovich) 1646605835
Returning from a \u201cSuperb Owl\u201d foray to Eastern Shore of Chesapeake Bay, we got on the DC Beltway as the first round of the Trucker Convoy was making its way around. We stayed in the outside lane & passed 100s of trucks, finally getting in front of them! What a WASTE of diesel!pic.twitter.com/EpwrvAGa2p— T. Michael Redmond (@T. Michael Redmond) 1646602926
Truckers convoy really know how to win over the populace , by causing huge traffic jams .\nThat'll win people over to your cause, which is mask mandates that have already ended.\nNevermind the idea they're using thousands of dollars in diesel fuel without loads.\nI see dumb people.— Keith M. (@Keith M.) 1646595801
I used to think signing one of those online petitions was about the most worthless thing you could do to "support" a cause.\n\nThen this latest fad of wasting tens of thousands of dollars in diesel and tying up traffic with a "convoy" became a thing.— Benjamin Allbright (@Benjamin Allbright) 1646580751
The only thing the "freedom convoy" is accomplishing is helping to drive up diesel and gas prices.— Jessica M. MSN, FNP-C (@Jessica M. MSN, FNP-C) 1646592681
I love it when they threaten to go 45mph, not realizing top speed on the beltway is usually 30.— Susanna King \ud83d\udc97\ud83d\udc9c\ud83d\udc99 (@Susanna King \ud83d\udc97\ud83d\udc9c\ud83d\udc99) 1646608173
Reports from the ground suggest that they just bled into beltway traffic and literally no one even noticed a difference, apart from a few friends who were like \u201cwoah, weird I\u2019m in between trucks with Trump flags.\u201d— (2022, dir John Dellaporta) (@(2022, dir John Dellaporta)) 1646608159
Their plan is to drive around the Beltway during rush hour at the minimum speed limit? Honey nobody goes that fast during rush hour lol— Abby \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\udf3b (@Abby \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\udf3b) 1646608216
So\u2026 looks like a normal day on the beltway.— Tim Marks (@Tim Marks) 1646608235
The Beltway Strikes Back.— (((THEE R.A. Roth Supports Ukraine, Fuck Putin!))) (@(((THEE R.A. Roth Supports Ukraine, Fuck Putin!)))) 1646608313
You know your cause is unpopular if people are actually rooting for the Beltway— John H \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\udf77\u26f3 (@John H \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\udf77\u26f3) 1646601228
A second wave of truckers laps the D.C. Beltway!pic.twitter.com/J9AwmpbCpj— RSBN \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@RSBN \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1646593348
