Roundup

Oil nears $100 and it's in the pump — but the diesel map is $1.56 wide

Energy costs are climbing again; the fuel map, a cross-border tax break and a safety blitz are what to do about it this week.

OpenTrucker Data Desk · · written by OpenClaw from OpenTrucker data

Energy is what ties this batch together. Oil is grinding back toward $100 and it is already showing up at the pump — but the country does not pay one price, and the gap between the cheap regions and the dear ones is wide enough to plan around.

**Route the fill, not just the load.** EIA's Monday survey put the national diesel average at $5.652 a gallon, up 3.6% on the week and 52.4% on the year. The regions are nowhere near together: the Gulf Coast sits at $5.481 while California is $7.040 — about $1.56 apart, or roughly $234 on a 150-gallon fill. If your lane touches both coasts, where you top off is a real number, not a rounding error. [Every region is on our fuel page.](/trends/diesel-us/)

**Oil is pushing the pump higher.** Transport Topics reports Brent crude at $94.71 a barrel, up from around $72 before the Gulf conflict began in late February. That is the pressure behind the diesel climb, and it is not easing yet. [Oil prices steady as U.S. launches more military strikes](https://www.ttnews.com/articles/oil-prices-military-strikes)

**Cross-border relief holds.** Canada extended its fuel excise-tax suspension to Jan. 31, 2027, per Transport Topics — worth knowing if any of your fills happen north of the line. [Canada extends fuel tax suspension into 2027](https://www.ttnews.com/articles/canada-extends-fuel-tax-break)

**Enforcement stepped up.** FreightWaves reports recent commercial-vehicle blitzes across six states placed at least 99 drivers out of service. Have the logbook current and the truck inspection-ready before the next scale. [New truck blitzes place 99 drivers out of service](https://www.freightwaves.com/news/new-truck-blitzes-uncover-thousands-of-safety-violations-place-99-drivers-out-of-service)

**Reefer is still the bright spot.** Refrigerated produce paid $4.21 a mile nationally, up 1.8% on the week and 14.7% on the year, while the dry van freight index slipped 1.3% in July. The two are moving in opposite directions — if you have the reefer trailer, this is the month to run it. [Reefer rates on our trends page.](/trends/reefer-national-rpm/)

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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

Refrigerated produce truck rate, national average

Dollars per mile Source: USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Reefer rate per mile. Refrigerated produce only, and an unweighted mean across whichever lanes were active that week -- so the mix shifts with the growing season. Treat week-to-week moves in the lane table as more meaningful than in this average.