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As a consultant, I'm used to traveling to client's sites to work. Recently, I've started commuting to a client that's in that 'sweet spot' of distance; Too far to fly, too close to stay the week and come back on weekends. So I've been commuting each day.

Aside from the fact that it takes 3 hours round-trip (on a good day) to get to work and back, the rising gas prices have had quite an impact in the costs I'm incurring to get to work. And I'm not the only one.

Airlines - Many airlines have already started shutting down unprofitable flights. A couple of smaller airlines have already gone out of business (Aloha Air for instance). This adds to the recent FAA-spawned shutdown of other flights for inspections, which is causing the airline industry to lose money by the millions of dollars.

Independent Truckers - Most large over-the-road trucking companies are weathering the increased gas prices so far, but the independent operators are being squeezed to the point where they're starting to go out of business, or sell their rigs back to 'the man' and join one of the trucking companies as an employee. Having (briefly) worked at a shipping company, I know that even though independent truckers are relatively well-paid, their margins are very tight. Upkeep on a Semi rig can easily eat up 2/3rds or more of their money all the time.

Small Delivery Drivers - Again, most companies are doing all right, but the small independent delivery drivers (pizza/fast food delivery, small parcels, etc) are losing out. It's hard to justify making only a few bucks a day/night after paying for gas.

It's a Short Drive to Trouble

The transportation industry is one of the most important, if not THE most important infrastructure elements in the United States today. There are a number of people, myself included, that argue the point that the former Soviet Union 'lost' the cold war because of their poor transportation system. They were able to make goods and products, but weren't able to efficiently transport them to where they needed to go.

Pres. Eisenhower, when he instituted the National Highway System in 1956, provided the means to make the transportation of goods easier and more dependable.

The National Highway System

The 256,000 kilometers (km) of NHS include only 4 percent of the nation's roads, but they carry more than 40 percent of all highway traffic, 75 percent of heavy truck traffic, and 90 percent of tourist traffic.

This ease of transportation brings down prices for goods and produce that would otherwise go unsold (rotting in the fields in the case of produce) and allows for a better lifestyle for everyone across the country, by providing easy access to a variety of consumer goods.

We're already starting to feel the effects of the increased cost of fuel; Food prices going up, cost of shipping and flying going up, and these costs will trickle down until they're absorbed by the general public in the form of increased prices for virtually EVERYTHING we buy.

Sounds Quite Depressing

So, what can one do to help out?? Short of finding a HUGE deposit of dinosaur squeezings underneath your land while out hunting small game, not much, directly.

What you CAN do, indirectly, is start consistently doing the little things that can save energy overall.

• Make sure your car is in shape - Tune up, tires inflated correctly, air filter clean, etc. to get the best gas mileage you can.
• Consider going hybrid - This may be a bigger cost up-front, but it serves two purposes; It encourages the car companies to create newer, better CLEANER running cars, and it saves fuel.
• Travel less - Plan out your travels a little better. If you don't NEED to go to three different places on three different days, then don't. Or go to the three places AT ONCE, and reduce the driving distance.
• Call more - If you normally get with your friends regularly, try taking ONE of those meetings and meet virtually (in a game, or instant messaging, on the phone, or just WALK to a meeting place).

Nothing huge, but small, consistent changes can have a significant effect.

Getting RADICAL

If you're feeling REALLY ambitious, or just a huge do-it-yourself aficionado, you might consider a home biodiesel kit. These kits allow you to make your own biodiesel in your garage from vegetable oil, which you can usually get from nearby restaurants for free. Couple this with a conversion kit for your diesel burning vehicle, and you're all set. (A great primer on going BioDiesel can be found here).

Fuel costs are forecast to rise, and rise, AND RISE. So maybe it's way past time to start seriously thinking about what to do to help out.

Do you have ideas on how to save gas and money at the pump? Let us know by leaving a comment.

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