Gas Shortage in Iowa

If you found yourself needing a quick fill-up of gas in Iowa over the weekend then you may have noticed how difficult it was to find a pump that had all the options open. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen problems at the pumps for the year 2021 either.

According to KCRG, as of right now most of the "gas shortages" were seen due to a lack of gas spurred by a lack of truck drivers.

If you're like me and wait till the last second to fill up your tank then it's always stressful to see this:

As of right now it appears these shortages could again be due the lack of drivers, but many Iowans have found themselves in stressful situations with multiple stations having pumps or select options being out.

Get our free mobile app

With more people out and driving especially for holidays, it can be difficult for supply to keep up. In early July Jeff Von Brown, manager of the modeling, forecasting, and telemetric team at the Iowa Department of Transportation told the Des Moines Register,

"With pent-up demand, and getting to do an event that we didn't quite get to do the same way as we would have chosen last year ... people should just be mindful of their travel because there will probably be more people."

As someone who drives a lot, it was very insightful to hear Von Brown's points on these reoccurring situations.

"Whether people feel safe or they have a certain view on the pandemic, there's certain things that just don't occur in rural Iowa, so people are still going to have to drive for necessities. We don't know for sure, but there were distinct patterns."

It's important to remember how hard so many are working to keep these pumps up and going, and that there will be gas again, and maybe don't wait till the last second again like I do ALL THE TIME!