CASTAIC, Calif. – Castaic is pretty much the last outpost for drivers heading over the Grapevine on I-5 in Northern Los Angeles County. 

It’s also a popular corridor for truckers.

Joel Sanchez was doing some final checks on his truck before a long trip to Oswego, New York. 

"It’ll take me about five days to get over there," Sanchez said.

These days, he says you won’t usually find him filling up at a California gas station.

"When I go to Arizona, it’s a dollar cheaper and so a lot of us drivers, we don’t want to put fuel here no more. It’s too expensive," Sanchez said.

The average price for a gallon of diesel right now in California is about $3.92, more than any other state in the continental United States. While high diesel prices frustrate Sanchez, he thinks the state's highways are in fairly good shape overall and hasn’t come across many issues.

"It’s minimal. Other states, it’s like horrible," he said.

George Hufnagel is a retired funeral director from Canada, who took up trucking in 1995.  

"My experience in California is don’t fuel unless you have to, and I’m just getting 50 gallons to get me out of the state," Hufnagel said.

He hauls beef and french fries for fast food restaurants like McDonald's and Arby's.  

"I just like the open road, being by myself," Hufnagel said, but he does travel with his dog Bianca by his side.

Hufnagel says he’s noticed more signs along the highway pointing out SB 1 funded projects and has seen a lot of work crews.

"There’s a lot of construction, but it seems that still there’s a lot of rough roads," Hufnagel said.

Those rough roads are what SB 1 intended to fix, but truckers seemed mixed on whether it’s truly benefiting them. But one thing’s for sure, fueling in the Golden State is something they try to avoid at all costs.

"I hope the gas prices can come down in California," Sanchez said.

In addition to raising fuel taxes, SB 1 also gives the DMV the power to deny commercial vehicle registration to any trucks or buses that are not compliant with state air quality regulations starting January 1, 2020.

The California Air Resources Board says companies have known about the new rules since 2008 and the agency has offered vouchers to help with transitional costs. It says about 20 percent of trucks are still not in compliance.