Oil prices have set a record this week at over one hundred dollars a barrel, and prices at the pump continue to be pushed towards three dollars a gallon.  The changes are forcing local owners to change the way they do business. From delivering flowers to moving furniture, the cost of doing business continues to rise for companies making their living on the move.

“I have to raise delivery charges, I have a driver to pay and I have gas to pay, vehicle maintenance and it's tough on all of us,” said Belva’s Flower shop Owner Chris Williams.

Belva's Flower Shop was forced to increase its delivery charge from five to ten dollars over the past few years. Delivery drivers are kept on a tight schedule wasting little time on the road.

“It's an uncertainty of where we are going to go and I'm not going to say we can't deliver any more, that's the core of the flower business,” said Williams.

Moving companies take an economic hit on two fronts, first by gas prices and second by the slumping housing market making jobs like these less available.

“The competition in the market is so great that our prices have stayed steady for seven years,” said Apartment Movers Etc. owner Trey Ingram.

To maintain profit margins, Ingram had to make tough cuts in other aspects of business.

“Pay increases for employees like myself has diminished greatly,” said Ingram.

Each of Ingram's delivery trucks costs him a thousand dollars per month for gas. Every time the price increases ten cents, that’s another hundred dollars. Ingram says seeing gas at three dollars a gallon is not a surprise anymore, calling it a fact of life. Ingram says because moving rates are regulated by a state agency, companies can only raise prices with approval from the public service commission.