Companies Have Decided the Gas Shock Is Your Problem Now
What’s liquid, in demand, and up 33% in a month? Gas. As the Iran war choked off the Strait of Hormuz, it pushed the national average past $4 for the first time in four years. Now, companies from gig platforms to e-commerce giants are warning that these costs aren’t staying on their books.
- Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash launched limited relief programs, but drivers say the perks aren’t enough — calling for surcharges instead.
- Following UPS, FedEx, and USPS, Amazon is now imposing a 3.5% fuel surcharge on sellers — leaving them to pass on costs to shoppers.
The real tab: What started at the Strait of Hormuz isn’t stopping at American pumps either. The United Nations warns that the disruption is already “feeding through the entire global economy,” forecasting growth will slow from 2.9% to 2.6% in 2026. Capital is already fleeing developing economies, and borrowing costs are climbing across Africa, Latin America, and Eurasia. Friday’s March CPI will be the first to put a number on it, but even if the war ended today, the damage isn’t going to be easy to reverse.
