Diesel averages $6.529 a gallon as trucking costs hit record; gasoline lags at $4.337
US diesel averaged $6.529 a gallon in the third week of September, the EIA reported. Gasoline averaged $4.337. A year ago diesel was $3.739 and gasoline $3.036. For a carrier, that gap is the operating math right now: fuel is climbing on the exact grade trucks burn while the pump price drivers complain about sits well below it.
The record run
AAA's daily national diesel average set a record on Sept. 4. Through Sept. 22 it fell only once, setting a fresh record on 18 of those 19 days. This has been a steady climb over three weeks.
Most fuel surcharge tables peg to the EIA weekly diesel number, so a record print feeds straight through to shipper invoices. Carriers recover some of the cost that way. The lag between paying at the rack and the surcharge resetting still comes out of their pocket, and small fleets that can't force a surcharge through eat more of it.
Who's feeling it
Trucking companies, where diesel is one of the biggest line items, are under real pressure, and a Reuters report cited in local coverage flagged the strain on regional carriers. Oklahoma ag producers are getting hit on the same fuel. In Connecticut, diesel is at a record and heating oil is up 50% in three months, which matters for any hauler moving product in the Northeast heading into heating season.
Why it may stay high
Benzinga reported the reason diesel could hold up even if crude falls: a global refinery shortage. Diesel supply is set by refining capacity, not just the crude price, and if refiners can't make enough middle distillate, cheaper oil doesn't fix the pump. That mechanism is worth watching more than any single crude headline.
Export talk and fuel theft
Trump asked Xi for China's help lowering gas and diesel prices, per Newsweek. Talk of limiting US diesel exports is also circulating, and analysts argue a curb would likely fail and would hit Europe harder than it helps American buyers.
At the smaller end, a Texas man is accused of drilling into the two tanks of a county water truck in Bruceville and draining $1,800 of diesel on Sept. 21. Tank theft climbs with prices. Locking caps and yard cameras stop being optional when a full tank is worth that much.
What to watch
Refinery run rates and distillate inventories are the number that decides whether this eases. Watch whether the EIA weekly diesel average rolls over or keeps setting records, since your surcharge resets track it. And watch the export-limit talk: if it moves from chatter to policy, the domestic supply math changes fast.