Diesel
Diesel prices, refinery and export policy, and what fuel costs mean for rates.
18 stories, newest first · page 1 of 2
Industry leaders warn red-dye diesel relief could cost drivers more in taxes later
Fuel marketers say the tax is still owed, most reputable retailers won't sell dyed fuel for highway use, and residual dye lingers in tanks — "deferral is not forgiveness."
September LMI: transportation prices near all-time highs as capacity contracts a 10th straight month
The Logistics Managers' Index priced transportation at 92.7 while capacity fell to 34.4 — record diesel prices and heightened enforcement keep squeezing the market, and aggregate logistics costs hit their highest since April 2022.
EIA: diesel benchmark drops $0.183 to $6.199, a second straight weekly decline
The DOE/EIA national average fell to $6.199 per gallon for the week of Oct. 5 — now $0.33 off the $6.529 all-time high — while analysts warn the red-dye executive order means limited, uneven relief at the pump.
Trump signs executive order deferring the federal diesel tax on red-dyed fuel through Dec. 31
The order opens tax-free red-dyed diesel to highway use and defers the $0.244-per-gallon federal tax with no interest or penalties — about $60 on a 250-gallon fill, over $100 where states match.
DAT: quarter-end freight push lifts van spot rate $0.11 to $3.13 a mile
Load posts rose 9% to 3.3 million for the week of Sept. 27–Oct. 3 while truck posts fell 8%; every equipment type gained, but DAT's Dean Croke calls it a calendar push, not a demand shift.
Contract rates open a $0.22-a-mile gap over spot freight, U.S. Bank finds
The October U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index shows contract dry van linehaul at $2.39 a mile against $2.17 spot in August, with fuel surcharges climbing to $0.70 a mile.
G7 agrees to release up to 100 million barrels of diesel and crude over four months
The Oct. 2 agreement puts diesel at the center of an emergency response to record fuel prices, with a substantial release reported within 20 days; members also pledged no export restrictions on one another.
Bessent presses Europe to release diesel reserves; oil prices ease
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on X Thursday that European partners should deliver diesel commitments faster and make additional supplies available; Brent fell 2.4% to $99.88 and U.S. crude 3.7% to $89.47.
DeWine signs 90-day, $0.47-a-gallon diesel tax cut as Ohio carriers call the fuel crisis a "tipping point"
Ohio will shave $0.47 a gallon off diesel taxes for 90 days starting Oct. 4, as Ohio truckers say record $6.65-a-gallon fuel is forcing closures and cash-flow crises.
Trump threatens diesel export ban unless Europe releases reserves
European officials held an emergency call Oct. 1 after the U.S. threatened to ban diesel exports — the latest pressure on a market where EU diesel averages $9.53 a gallon.
Diesel drops 14.7 cents to $6.382 — first weekly decline in 12 weeks
EIA's national on-highway average fell to $6.382 a gallon for the week ending Sept. 28, ending an 11-week climb to record-high levels.
Diesel up 10 cents in a week, spot rates up 2: the margin squeeze
Diesel hit just under $6.57 a gallon Monday while spot rates gained only 2 cents a mile, and regulatory crackdowns are tightening capacity on top of it.
Texas declares diesel disaster, Georgia suspends fuel taxes for 30 days
Abbott's disaster proclamation opens Texas roads to dyed diesel and 95,000-pound fuel, ag, and timber loads; Kemp's order suspends gas and diesel taxes through Oct. 29.
Nebraska waives dyed-diesel rules, Montana adopts fuel-hauler HOS waiver
Nebraska's two 90-day orders allow dyed diesel for ag haulers and 25% overweight crop loads, plus a request to pause diesel exports; Montana mirrors FMCSA's fuel-hauler HOS waiver intrastate.
Week 39 spot rates: van $3.01, reefer $3.63, flatbed $3.60 — fuel did all the work
All-in rates rose, but van linehaul was flat and reefer and flatbed linehaul fell — the entire gain came from the fuel surcharge.