A wave of trucking and freight companies is going bankrupt as diesel prices surge, which is bad for small truckers, their drivers, and eventually anyone buying goods.

• Sixteen transportation companies filed for bankruptcy in September, wiping out hundreds of trucking jobs.
• Diesel has jumped from under $4 a gallon a year ago to past $6, adding millions in yearly costs for a mid-sized fleet.
• High interest rates are the second squeeze — loans on $150,000–$200,000 trucks cost far more than they used to.
• Small operators have no cash cushion, so big players with money in the bank can undercut them on freight rates and take the loads.
• Trump temporarily allowed cheaper dyed diesel on highways, which could shave 50 cents to a dollar a gallon.

Outlook: Unless diesel and interest rates come down, more small trucking firms will fold and the higher shipping costs will get passed on to shoppers.