Arizona Drivers Feel the Squeeze as Gas Prices Bite Deeper Into Budgets

From truck stops to city gas stations, motorists describe mounting fuel costs, tighter margins, and growing frustration over global forces.

California truck driver Alex Cardona fuels his semi-truck at a Flying J truck stop in Phoenix on Nov. 19, 2025. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

PHOENIX—Kane Dougherty doesn’t own a car—and with gas prices climbing, he figures that’s probably for the best.

The 26-year-old Arizona resident was topping off a U-Haul truck at a Costco gas station before heading to Tennessee, where he plans to live with family while attending school to become an electrician.