Diesel holds above $5.65 as a CDL data breach and rail merger fight lead the week

The national on-highway diesel average sat at $5.652 a gallon for the week to 24 August, up 3.6% on the week and 52.4% on the year, according to our tracking of the U.S. Energy Information Administration survey. That is a retail pump average including taxes, surveyed each Monday; fleets buying on contract at truck stops pay less, and the gap widens when prices move fast, so read it as direction rather than as what you will pay.

Days after that reading, Land Line and The Trucker (carrying an Associated Press report) said diesel had set a fresh record near $5.85 a gallon on 4 September, the first time it topped the 2022 high. What you do with it depends on where you fuel: our regional series still show the West Coast at $6.407 and California at $7.040 against $5.350 in the Lower Atlantic, a spread of about $1.69 a gallon. If routing gives you any choice, fill east and south of the Rockies.

**Protect your license data.** The FBI is investigating a dark-web service claiming 153 million driver's license records, including CDL-tagged entries, FreightWaves reports. Investigators have not confirmed any freight-specific exposure, but it is a reason to watch your identity and any accounts tied to your CDL.

**Appreciation Week.** OOIDA is running a membership deal for Truck Driver Appreciation Week, Land Line reports — worth a look if you have been meaning to join or renew.

**Intermodal watch.** More than 100 House Democrats have asked the Surface Transportation Board to put rail jobs first in its review of the proposed Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger, per FreightWaves. A combined eastern-western railroad would reshape the intermodal lanes that compete with over-the-road freight.

**Drayage.** The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and Calstart are launching $45 million in incentives for electric drayage trucks and charging, Transport Topics reports — relevant if you pull containers at the East Coast's busiest port.

**A demand bright spot.** Job growth in manufacturing, construction and other goods producers is outpacing the larger services economy, Transport Topics reports. Goods production is what fills trailers, so that is the kind of print that eventually shows up in freight volumes.

**Security reminder.** Thieves hit the same UK depot twice in two hours, making off with about $277,000 in Guinness, FreightWaves reports — a reminder that loaded trailers left unattended are the target.