SHERMAN, Miss. (WTVA) - Mississippi truck drivers say rising diesel prices are cutting deeply into their paychecks, as one state lawmaker pushes for temporary relief at the pump.

George Thompson, who has driven trucks for 38 years, said fuel costs are eating into what he takes home.

“I saw my paycheck yesterday. It was negative $1,823 on fuel,” Thompson said.

Another driver, Robert Jennings, said filling his truck Saturday cost him $741.04. It’s an amount he said is far from normal.

AAA listed Mississippi’s average diesel price at about $5.93 per gallon Saturday.

The rising costs are also getting attention at the State Capitol. State Sen. Tyler McCaughn sent a letter to Gov. Tate Reeves on Oct. 1 asking him to consider temporarily suspending or reducing Mississippi’s motor fuel tax.

McCaughn said high fuel prices are affecting industries beyond trucking, including the transportation of logs and lumber.

“We’re not asking for a full-blown tax change,” McCaughn said. “We’re not asking for this to be permanent. We’re just asking for some type of short-term relief.”

His letter also acknowledges that fuel tax revenue helps fund Mississippi roads and bridges, meaning any temporary reduction would have to account for lost transportation funding.

The governor has not said whether he will pursue temporary fuel-tax relief.