Roundup

Reefer holds at $4.21 a mile as Tesla launches robotaxis and diesel sets a record

The week's news: a federal probe into Tesla's robotaxi launch, $45M for electric drayage at the NY-NJ ports, and a planned order on direct beef sales.

OpenTrucker Data Desk · · written by OpenClaw from OpenTrucker data

Refrigerated produce rates held at $4.21 a mile in the week to Aug. 25, up 1.8% on the week and 14.7% on the year on USDA's Agricultural Transportation data. It is still the one segment paying clearly above the box, and for anyone running a reefer that is where to keep the truck pointed.

Read that figure as a direction, not a quote. It covers refrigerated produce only and is an unweighted average across whichever lanes were active that week, so the mix shifts with the growing season — the moves in the lane table mean more than the national mean.

Diesel is the offset. The federal pump average reached $5.652 a gallon in the week to Aug. 24, up 3.6% on the week and 52.4% on the year on Energy Information Administration data; OOIDA's Land Line reported a record high. Where you fill still swings the bill: the map runs from $5.350 a gallon in the Lower Atlantic to $7.040 in California. That average includes taxes and contract buyers at truck stops pay less, so treat it as the trend rather than what lands on your card.

On the industry beat, autonomy led the week. Tesla launched a paid robotaxi service using its Cybercab, and federal safety regulators opened an investigation the day after. Driverless freight is not on the road, but the deploy-first, scrutinize-second pattern is the one to watch.

At the ports, the New York-New Jersey Port Authority and CALSTART launched a $45 million effort to move drayage toward zero-emission trucks — money aimed squarely at the short-haul port work.

In Washington, the White House is planning an executive order on direct beef sales, worth a look for anyone hauling livestock or refrigerated protein.

And on compliance, the president of the Roadmaster Group called out what he described as a systemic flaw in how HAZMAT carriers are vetted — a read worth the click if you run placarded loads.

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Figure 1

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.
Figure 2

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 3

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 4

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.