Diesel hits record $5.85 a gallon, up about $2.10 since the Iran strikes began
The national retail diesel average is $5.85 a gallon as of Friday, an all-time high on AAA's daily number and the most any carrier has ever paid at the pump. That breaks the old record of $5.82 set in June 2022, a few months after Russia invaded Ukraine. The last four days did most of the damage.
The run-up
AAA had diesel at $5.7832 on Thursday, already the highest reading since military action against Iran started at the beginning of March. GasBuddy called its own record a day earlier, with a live national average of $5.820 on Thursday afternoon that edged past the $5.819 mark from June 17, 2022, according to Patrick De Haan. Two data shops, same story.
The Friday before the strikes on Iran and the Iranian counterattacks, AAA had diesel at $3.758. It is up about $2.10 a gallon since. That premium now sits on top of freight lanes across the country.
What haulers pay
Diesel moves freight, and the pump price flows straight into fuel surcharges. Carriers running surcharge tables tied to the DOE or a retail benchmark are billing shippers more this week, and the ones locked into fixed rates are eating the gap.
Brent is pushing toward $95, and OilPrice ties the crude move partly to the same diesel strength. Distillate refining margins are what is driving this, so the pain lands hardest on the people who run diesel equipment for a living.
Idling and alt-fuel
Two smaller items. EkoHaul is pitching a solar trailer that could cut the fuel trucks burn while idling, which matters more at $5.85 than it did at $3.75. And the engine for the first ethanol-powered very large ore carrier finished its R&D test. It is a marine story, but a sign that ethanol demand may find outlets beyond the gasoline pool.
What to watch
Whether the four-day run keeps going or stalls depends on the Middle East and on distillate inventories. If the fighting stays contained, diesel could ease off the record. If it widens, the surcharge tables move again. Watch the DOE weekly retail number on Monday, since that is what most surcharges actually reprice against, and watch whether Brent holds above $90.