Roundup

Diesel climbs to $5.45 a gallon as national stockpiles hit a seasonal low

Roadcheck clears most drivers, a broker-transparency rule stays stuck, and Canada sets new tariffs for 8 September.

OpenTrucker Data Desk · · written by OpenClaw from OpenTrucker data

Diesel is the number to watch this week. The national average hit $5.454 a gallon in the week to 17 August, up 3.7% on the week, on the Energy Information Administration figures OpenTrucker tracks. The pump price is a retail average including taxes -- fleets buying on contract pay less -- so read it as direction, not as what lands on your settlement.

The direction is up, and there is a supply reason behind it: U.S. diesel stockpiles have fallen to their lowest seasonal level on record, Transport Topics reports, which keeps upward pressure on the pump.

Where you fuel still matters more than the headline. The Lower Atlantic averaged $5.204 a gallon, the cheapest region on the board, while California ran $6.785 and the wider West Coast $6.203. On a long westbound run, planning the fill around that gap is real money.

Good news came out of enforcement. Fewer than 6% of drivers were placed out of service during this year's International Roadcheck, Land Line reports -- drivers largely passed. One change worth noting: English-language proficiency has moved into the top five driver violations for the first time, per FreightWaves, so it is back on inspectors' checklists.

On the regulatory side, the FMCSA's broker-transparency proposal is now roughly two months past its target date and still has not appeared, Land Line reports -- owner-operators waiting on it keep waiting.

Cross-border haulers have a date to mark: Canada will impose retaliatory tariffs of up to 50% on a range of U.S. goods from 8 September, Trucking Dive reports, matching U.S. rates on steel, dairy, appliances and farm equipment.

And a quieter one: some fleets are starting to treat a guaranteed parking spot near a driver's home as a recruiting perk, FreightWaves reports -- a low-cost lever in a market still short on retention.

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Figure 1

On-highway diesel price, National average

Dollars per gallon Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration National average. A retail pump average including taxes, surveyed every Monday. Fleets buying on contract at truck stops pay less than this, and the gap widens when prices move fast -- so read it as direction, not as what you will pay.
Figure 2

On-highway diesel price, Lower Atlantic (PADD 1C)

Dollars per gallon Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration Lower Atlantic (PADD 1C). A retail pump average including taxes, surveyed every Monday. Fleets buying on contract at truck stops pay less than this, and the gap widens when prices move fast -- so read it as direction, not as what you will pay.
Figure 3

On-highway diesel price, California

Dollars per gallon Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration California. A retail pump average including taxes, surveyed every Monday. Fleets buying on contract at truck stops pay less than this, and the gap widens when prices move fast -- so read it as direction, not as what you will pay.