SALISBURY, Md. -- As extreme cold grips the region, heating oil companies are working around the clock to keep homes warm, responding to a surge in demand brought on by the recent cold snap.
Josh Fuller, who works with Tilghman Oil, said he has spent a lot of time in his fuel truck as customers seek extra heating oil.
“We got about three fuel trucks running heating oil, and on average we’re probably running close to 20, 25 stops a day per truck,” Fuller said.
That workload is higher than normal, he said, driven in part by call-in customers who are not usually on the company’s delivery schedule. Many residents are reaching out as they try to avoid losing heat during the frigid temperatures.
“It’s just like the grocery stores,” Tom Miller, operations manager for Tilghman Oil Co., said. “They’re going to call in as you do for bread or milk. The drivers have been working a lot of overtime, they’re all working weekends.”
Tilghman Oil is not alone in seeing increased demand. Taylor Oil is also reporting a spike in service calls.
Owner Jay Taylor said his drivers have been putting in long hours to keep up.
“They’re working a lot of overtime right now, they’re a little bit tired, but they have been through this before. They’re seasoned drivers, but they are looking forward to the summertime hours,” Taylor said.
Taylor said oil companies function as another layer of storm preparation, staying busy not only during cold snaps but also in advance of winter weather.
“We actually came in on the weekend and worked up to the storm and got our customers taken care of,” Taylor said.
Both companies said they will assess the weather in the coming days to determine how they can best continue coverage as temperatures remain low.