A trucker, a farmer, and an entrepreneur walk into a global supply shock

NPR. This is the indicator from Planet Money. I'm Darien Woods. And I'm Ricky Mulvey. The US Israel war with Iran has a grave human cost. And all across the world, there's a growing financial cost too. Higher gas prices, delayed international flights, this is what economists call a supply shock. The fossil fuels that power our factories, ships, and planes are suddenly a lot more expensive. So we wanted to hear from the people in America whose economic livelihoods are particularly sensitive to the war in The Middle East. Yeah. Oil and gas are inputs into so many things around us, plastics, fertilizer, even medicines. So today on the show, we'll hear from a truck driver about rising transportation costs. We'll ask an Iowa corn farmer about what he's doing as fertilizer prices shoot through the roof, and we'll speak with an entrepreneur who's got a few words for you, an alternative to plastics. We're on a tour of economic ripple effects from The US Israel war with Iran, especially as they touch America. And maybe the side effect that's most in our face when we're driving anywhere is what we see on gas station signs. The price of fuel is particularly important for truckers like Forrest Atkinson. I live full time out of this, this truck. So it's my home, and I just get to go out and have adventures. When we spoke, she was just delivering some packaging to a factory that makes cheese. Can I can I get you to sign it? Yeah. Or I can make a copy for you. Okay. Like, yeah. Like, And, yeah, as she drives around The US, Forrest is facing higher diesel costs. Diesel prices were up about a third on March 9 compared to a month earlier before the war. And that could mean hundreds of extra dollars each time she fills up her semi truck. Last week, diesel was $4.86 a gallon. Her employer does pick up the tab, but she says when prices get really high, they might become choosy about which stations she's allowed to refuel at. When things do get really bad, they'll, like, literally, like, send us a message on our our tablets or e logs and say, like, like, you you're not allowed to, like, fuel here. Like, you're just not allowed to as a company driver, and you can get in a little bit of trouble if you do do that. As of yet, the company hasn't blacklisted more expensive gas stations, and maybe that's one indicator that energy prices aren't at red alert levels right now. We'll see if that's true. I hope that it is in this case because I I do love my job. I do love long haul trucking, and I hope that the prices do get, like, lower because, like, if fuel prices rise, the consumers will probably end up eating that bill. Right now, Forrest is relieved she's an employed truck driver, not someone who owns …