Some Calgary gas stations out of fuel over the weekend
Posted Aug 23, 2021 12:18 pm.
Last Updated Aug 23, 2021 6:13 pm.
CALGARY – Several Petro-Canada stations across the city put yellow tape around their fuel pumps over the weekend, as they couldn’t keep up with demand.
The stations weren’t able to maintain their fuel supply and Gas Buddy’s head of petroleum analysis, Patrick De Haan, says it may either be caused by a minor refinery issue or a shortage of tanker drivers.
“Amidst the COVID pandemic, we have seen both in the U.S. and Canada broad and significant shortage of tanker truck drivers and in the midst of a very high period of gasoline consumption, especially on the weekends, it’s very hard for stations to keep up with the limited amount of truck drivers,” De Haan explained.
The trucker shortage has escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting not only Canada but the United States as well.
Some gas stations have been left completely dry because of it.
De Haan believes the issue Petro-Canada is facing will be temporary.
“I would say that this is a problem that could be persistent on the weekends until the long weekend,” De Haan said.
“With the conclusion of the summer driving season on the Canadian Labour Day weekend, we should see more breathing room on the weekends and this should no longer be a major issue.”
660 NEWS reached out to Suncor, the parent company of Petro-Canada, regarding the issue, in which it responded:
“We are aware that some of our sites in Calgary and surrounding areas are experiencing runouts. We are working to get product to sites as quickly as possible and expect this will be resolved over the coming days. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”
