Truckers in the St. Louis region faced two headaches last year: the shutdown of a five-mile stretch of Highway 40, and rising fuel prices. The former turned out to be a minor irritation, but the latter is a profit-blasting migraine with no relief in sight.

At the start of this year, orange barrels and detour signs went up to mark a 12-month construction closure of Highway 40 between

Interstate 170 and Ballas Road. It was widely expected to snarl traffic, give rise to road rage and double or triple rush-hour drives on the region's other interstates and arterials.

But by February, it became clear that reality would not live up to nightmarish scenarios. The 127,000 daily vehicles that used Highway 40 in late 2006 shifted to other routes, but drive times were kept at pre-construction levels by improvements such as revamped traffic signaling systems, said county officials.

Companies that rely on truck transport haven't had much time to celebrate, however. They're experiencing too much pain at the pump.

The trucking industry spent more than $112 billion on fuel in 2007, up nearly 6 percent from $106 billion in the prior year, according to the American Trucking Association, an Arlington, Va.-based trade group. And fuel spending is on pace to reach $154.1 billion this year, a record.

Filling up a typical tractor-trailer with diesel fuel, as of May 19, cost about 212 percent more than it did five years earlier, the group said. For many carriers, diesel fuel is vying with labor as their highest expense.

Some companies are able to pass the added cost along to customers. UniGroup Inc., the Fenton-based parent company of movers United Van Lines and Mayflower Transit, has said it is able to do so.

But others must swallow the expense. The trucking association is seeking relief from Congress, leading lobbying efforts that culminated in an April protest in which hundreds of honking truckers circled the U.S. Capitol. Smaller trucking companies have warned that if there is no relief, they may be forced to close.

rmelcer@post-dispatch.com | 314-340-8394