METAIRIE (WGNO)— Be prepared to pay more at the pump for gas, and according to AAA these prices are the highest they’ve been in almost a decade here in Louisiana.

Drivers are not pumped that gas prices are going up!

“All I do is burn gas all day long and man it is killing me,” Kevin Hartdegen said.

Hartdegen is in the landscaping business, so he’s driving around all day.

“It means I work just as hard and make less money. I know I used to fill my truck for $45 and not it is at $70. It is quite a hit to my pocket,” he said.

Nick Chabarria, Public Affairs Specialist with AAA said, “Unfortunately for drivers state-wide the average hit $3.00 per gallon for the first time since October of 2014.”

So why are gas prices rising?

“The single biggest factor in gas prices being higher is higher crude oil prices. We know crude oil is trading at $40 a barrel at this time. As long as crude oil prices stay elevated. Drivers in Louisiana can expect to see prices elevated at the pump,” he said.

Driving around Metairie, the priciest we found was $3.29 per gallon for regular unleaded gas at the Shell on Veterans. The cheapest we found was at the Discount Zone on Causeway for $2.97 per gallon for regular unleaded gas.

“I look for deals, but a lot of times it doesn’t make sense to drive out of my way to save a couple nickels,” Hartdegen said.

But AAA says the best way to save is…

“Combine your errands, run them all at one time instead of going back and forth to home to save some mileage,” Chabarria said.

Another way to save some money is to drive with your windows down without running your car air conditioning.

AAA also said that the reason the price of crude oil is so high right now is because of multiple factors, but primarily the increased demand for gasoline globally.