[Intro — Rex, spoken] Five in the morning. Diesel climbing. Another load, another receipt. They count billions. I count gallons. Pump Tax Blues. Let's ride. [Verse 1 — Mack] One-fifty gallons, three dollars more, Four-fifty gone before I leave the yard door. Five days working, twenty-two-fifty a week, One-seventeen thousand yearly if the same costs repeat. Illustrative math, not every driver's fate, But thin margins don't give you room to wait. Crude is one factor, not the whole receipt, Refining, distribution, taxes complete. Global supply, refinery outages, demand, And conflict moves prices across the land. The EIA tracks the pieces that compose the price, While I'm checking the pump and rolling the dice. [Hook — Full Crew] Pump Tax Blues! Hear the diesel engine cry, Wall Street counts profits while the margins run dry. Pump Tax Blues! Every gallon takes a bite, Own your rig, work all week, still fight to survive. Blacktop, chrome, and a payment due, Fuel climbs fast but the freight rate might not move. Pump Tax Blues! Let the working people speak, Who's got the power when the margins get weak? [Verse 2 — Pip] Fuel surcharge on the invoice, sounds like relief, But the contract decides how much covers the grief. What's the base price? What's the mileage rate? When does the payment land? Can the carrier wait? Some contracts pass costs through, others leave a gap, Spot-market drivers may have no room to adapt. Fuel gets paid now, freight might clear later, Cash-flow pressure turns a week into a wager. Tires, repairs, insurance, interest on the note, One bad breakdown puts a hole in the boat. Gross revenue isn't profit, that's the first thing to know, A full trailer doesn't mean your bank balance grows. [Hook — Full Crew] Pump Tax Blues! Hear the diesel engine cry, Wall Street counts profits while the margins run dry. Pump Tax Blues! Every gallon takes a bite, Own your rig, work all week, still fight to survive. [Verse 3 — Brutus] Washington says drill more, expand domestic supply, But a permit isn't production and a slogan can't set the price. Companies weigh investment, demand, and future rates, Global crude benchmarks cross international gates. A president can shape policy, influence permits and direction, But can't command every refinery margin or market correction. Nine reported oil holdings — disclosures to inspect, But ownership alone doesn't prove misconduct or neglect. Match the dates, trades, and decisions; establish the chain, Don't turn an open question into a verdict without claims. Political scrutiny matters; evidence matters too, The facts hit harder when the records make them true. [Verse 4 — Rex] I'm hauling other people's products down the highway, Broker wants a discount, shipper wants it yesterday. You can't eat gross revenue, can't sleep inside a chart, Can't pay a shop with promises when a turbo falls apart. If the surcharge lags, each mile can deepen losses, While small carriers carry costs and payment crosses. Know your cost per mile before accepting that load, Count fuel, repairs, deadhead, and the miles on the road. Take it, pass it — let the numbers justify, A truck that stays in business is the reason you survive. [Bridge — Pip, spoken] Four-fifty a day. Twenty-two-fifty a week. One-seventeen thousand annualized. Before surcharge recovery and other costs. That's multiplication, not a prediction. [Verse 5 — Full Crew] Mack: The pump has a price tag, the contract has a clause. Pip: The market has a thousand causes, not one hidden cause. Brutus: Watch the filings and the energy laws. Rex: Keep the wheels turning, know your actual costs. [Outro — Rex] The stock ticker has its winners. The highway has its workers. The invoice has its numbers. And the engine keeps running. OIL BARON. Pump Tax Blues.
