DENTON, TX – Rising gas and diesel prices at the pump have made staying in business difficult for transportation company, including Niblett Trucking LLC, according to the Denton Record Chronicle.

Cary Davis, fleet manager for Niblett Trucking LLC, the transportation arm of United Commercial Cast Stone, said Niblett will likely cut its fleet size in half because of rising diesel prices and lower trucking wages.

Although fuel costs are cheaper this year than last, during a tough economy, every penny has an impact, said Davis, manager of six company-owned big rigs.

And the price of gas and diesel will continue to rise, according to the Energy Information Administration's May short-term energy outlook, which predicts gas prices will average $2.21 per gallon this summer — although prices in Denton County have surpassed that estimate with reports of $2.25 and $2.39 a gallon seen at local gas stations.

So far this year, about 20 employees were laid off from United Commercial Cast Stone and Niblett Trucking, and there could be more layoffs in the future, Davis said, as reported by the DRC.