Winston Salem Times

Yarbrough Transfer Co. has a very specific business model of moving construction equipment from one place to another, but its economic struggle is real amid higher fuel prices and supply-chain issues.

It serves as a model for how the transportation industry is dealing with a wave of problems, including higher operating costs that have to be passed along to customers.

"I started thinking that this (higher fuel prices) is going to affect our ability to meet customers' needs," Donny Hinds, director of operations for Yarbrough, told WXII 12. "There's a direct correlation from what you see on the gas prices to the increase in rates for our services."

Customers are continuing to hire the company, since the services it offers are highly specialized. But Yarbrough is not dealing only with front-end challenges.

The spike in gas prices—which have receded somewhat in recent weeks from the record highs this country saw in early March—is just one of the hurdles. It can be overcome, from a business perspective, by adding fuel surcharges to bills or other economic tactics.

More important, perhaps, are the staffing shortages and supply-chain problems that have led to higher costs in other areas, Hinds told WXII 12. The prices for parts have increased 30-40%. Not only that, supply-chain backlogs have made it harder to find replacement parts for trucks that need repairs. That could lead to longer turnaround times for the jobs Yarbrough gets.

All of the challenges have combined to make him less optimistic about the future, to be sure; but Hinds said his company is doing what it can to adjust—though it seems like an uphill battle right now.

If you're hiring a moving company or just having furniture delivered, chances are you're paying more for those services as other transportation firms are making similar decisions about how to offset the higher cost of doing business.