| Posted: Dec. 9, 2022, 6:57 a.m. | Updated: Dec. 9, 2022, 7:17 a.m. | 7 Min Read
“It’s probably the first season I’m really scared. I put my prices up, but I don’t know if I went up enough because of the price of diesel,” said Gary Nicholson of Dickieson’s Snow Removal in Charlottetown.Nicholson said his company runs a fleet of 20 tractors each year and estimates it will cost between $400-500 to fill each one with diesel. Even though he raised his rates for the year, the recent fluctuations in fuel costs could create problems mid-season, said Nicholson.
Nicholson said, for the most part, his clients have been understanding about the rate increase, however, he did receive a few calls asking why they went up.Outside of raising his rates, Nicholson has also downsized the area where he operates and pulled out of Cornwall and Meadowbank to make the business more efficient, he said.
While he is not operating in as many areas as he once was, Nicholson said he is trying to take on more people in the areas he is in to help supplement the change. “Plain and simple, we are up 25 per cent to keep up with inflation overall, so that’s our increase this year,” he said.