An Australian truck driver and fleet owner says she may be forced to shut down her business as the nation’s fuel crisis intensifies – and warns it’s going to turn into a sh*t show’.

Sharna Chapman, who runs Runnymede Trucking Company in Echuca on the Victoria-NSW border, warns that soaring fuel prices – driven by escalating conflict in the Middle East – have pushed some companies to breaking point.

Shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for around one‑fifth of the world’s oil, have sent Australian fuel prices above $3 per litre in some regions, with hundreds of service stations running out of supply.

Chapman says her fuel expenses have jumped by $20,000 in the past month alone, and by March 18 she had already matched her entire fuel bill for February.

To stay afloat, her drivers have taken several days off to save on fuel costs.

‘I’ve had this business for nine years – myself and all of my drivers work their a***s off,’ she told the ABC.

‘I’d like to think I won’t have to shut the doors, but I know three owner‑drivers who handed in their keys today because they just can’t keep going. It’s not viable anymore.

‘You can see the tears in their Facebook posts about closing their businesses. It’s absolutely terrible.

Truck boss Sharna Chapman fears she may be forced to shut down her family business after fuel costs surged by $20,000 in just weeks, as the Middle East conflict drives prices past $3 a litre and pushes transport operators to the brink.

Chapman says small operators are ‘working day-to-day’ to survive the fuel crisis, with some already hanging up the keys as costs spiral out of control.

‘We’re just working day‑to‑day. We can’t look too far ahead because I don’t know what’s going to happen.’

‘We can only pass on so much to the customers.

‘It’s not as simple as that. Then the customer has to find a way to absorb it.

‘In the end, it’s going to turn into a s***show.’

Ms Chapman called on the government to introduce a diesel subsidy before the impacts spread across the wider economy.

‘We understand prices have to go up and that it’s out of their control, but what is in their control is coming up with a plan to help subsidise transport companies that are working their backsides off to keep the country going.’

Queensland truckie David told 4BC breakfast hosts Dean and Sofie that rising costs would create a domino effect that would hit everyday Australians.

‘It usually costs me $950 to fill up. Last week, each fill‑up was $1,550 – a jump of $500 to $600,’ he said on Monday.

National Road Transport Association chief Warren Clark said consumers could start to see the effects as early as mid to late April, with noticeable price hikes on everyday essentials or empty shelves altogether

‘The profit margins in trucks are not that great. They’ve got to pay me overtime, double time, triple time, living away allowances and tolls – it’s all adding up.

‘It’s all going to come to one place and that’s the consumer.

‘We deliver eggs, milk, bread, meat, and vegetables. They all have to go up. Prepare yourself for Armageddon, because if this keeps going, it has to go into the shops. There’s no other place it can go.’

National Road Transport Association chief Warren Clark said the situation has become so concerning some businesses that own their trucks outright are choosing to pull vehicles off the road, opting to wait out the crisis rather than operate at a loss.

He said consumers could start to see the effects as early as mid to late April, with noticeable price hikes on everyday essentials or empty shelves altogether.

‘The cost of fuel has to be worn by the end customer or people can’t actually operate in business,’ he said.

‘Some of our members are telling us they simply cannot keep going.

‘We are seeing long-term operators parking their trucks and walking away from businesses they’ve spent years building.

‘We are expecting to see more businesses make tough decisions on April 21, when the fuel card bills for March start landing.

‘That will be the moment many operators realise they simply can’t absorb these costs any longer.’

Mr Clark said the consequences of government inaction would extend far beyond the transport sector, flowing directly through to higher prices for groceries, fuel and essential goods

‘When trucking businesses collapse, supply chains suffer, and Australian households pay the price,’ he said.

With the closure of the Strait of Hormuz interrupting crucial shipments of fertiliser from the Middle East, farmers are also bracing for impact.

National Farmers’ Federation president Hamish McIntyre said dairy products would be among the first to see prices skyrocket, followed by fresh produce.

‘We estimate in a matter of weeks we’ll start to see the costs flow through to the consumers on supermarket shelves,’ he said.

‘It starts with dairy, then our fruit and veg, and in any of our intensive animal industries too.’  

The government on Tuesday announced changes to the Fair Work Act to allow truck drivers and transport businesses to make emergency applications for contract changes in response to the fuel price spikes.

The changes will allow trucking companies to re-negotiate their contracts faster and remove a six-month minimum waiting period for orders so companies aren’t caught out by higher fuel prices.