The national average price of on-highway diesel reached $5.643 a gallon in the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s weekly survey for April 6, 2026. Five weeks earlier, on March 2, the same survey put it at $3.897. That is a rise of about $1.75 a gallon, or roughly 45%, in just over a month. California was higher still: the EIA’s state average went from $4.990 to $7.567 over the same five weeks.
In an analysis published on April 7, the EIA said crude oil and petroleum product prices increased sharply in the first quarter of 2026. Brent crude started the year at $61 a barrel and ended March at $118, passing $100 on March 12. The agency tied the jump to military action in the Middle East that began on February 28 and to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz that followed, which disrupted shipping and led Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to shut in production.
Diesel was hit harder than gasoline. According to the EIA, the supply disruptions affected exports of distillate and jet fuel more severely than gasoline. The distillate crack spread at New York Harbor, a measure of the gap between the price of crude and the wholesale price of diesel, averaged $1.42 a gallon in March. That was the highest monthly level since 2022 and about twice the 2021-2025 average of 68 cents.
What it means for shippers
- Fuel surcharges follow this number. LTL and FTL fuel surcharges are commonly indexed to the EIA weekly diesel average and reset every week, so a move of this size reaches invoices quickly. Ask your carrier which index and which week it uses.
- Check what a quote includes. When you compare quotes, confirm whether fuel is built into the rate or billed as a separate line, and how long the quote is valid.
- California lanes cost more to fuel. On April 6 the California average was nearly $2 a gallon above the national figure. Freight that starts, ends or runs mostly inside the state carries that difference.
- Budget a range, not a point. The national average jumped 96 cents in a single week in early March. Freight budgets built on February fuel prices need to be rerun.
- Consolidate where you can. Fewer, fuller shipments spread the fuel cost over more freight. Review whether several small LTL moves on the same lane could ship together.
Go Trucking Services handles LTL and FTL land transport across Greater Los Angeles and nationwide. See land transport or request a quote on the home page.
Sources:
- EIA, Today in Energy: Crude oil and petroleum product prices increased sharply in the first quarter of 2026 (April 7, 2026)
- EIA, weekly U.S. No. 2 diesel retail prices
- EIA, weekly California No. 2 diesel retail prices
Image: Robert F. W. Whitlock, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).
