Diesel Reaches $5.62 a Gallon and Lands on Cost Per Mile
The New York Times reported on August 26, 2026 that the average price of diesel in the United States was $5.62 a gallon, 53 percent higher than a year earlier, citing the AAA motor club. US refineries are running at around 97 percent of capacity, exports of diesel and related fuels are up around 28 percent year over year, and US inventories have fallen.
The report notes that large logistics companies are typically able to pass all or most of a higher fuel cost through to their customers, while smaller operators and drivers who operate independently may not be able to do so. Zach Miller of the Trucking Association of New York described the effect in operating terms: “you basically break it out into what is my cost per mile traveled.”
- $5.62 US Average Diesel, Per Gallon
- 53% Above a Year Earlier
- 97% US Refinery Utilization
A fuel move of this size does not reach a buyer's carrier base evenly. The asset heavy national carriers recover it through fuel surcharges. The regional partners, the final mile specialists and the independent drivers who carry the last leg absorb more of it inside their own cost per mile. For anyone buying delivery capacity, the practical question is which layer of the carrier base is quietly carrying the increase, and what that does to service before it shows up in a rate review.