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Even if you’ve never purchased a tank of diesel in your life, the price of it matters. Promise. So much of the United States’ logistics depends on the fuel, and right now, it’s staggeringly expensive at $5.62 per gallon on average nationwide. There’s a short list of reasons for that. And even though current diesel prices haven’t broken the all-time record yet, there are telltale signs that they could soon.
Reuters reported Tuesday morning that Russia could continue its fuel export ban through September. You might not have known there was a fuel export ban in place, and that’s OK. The long and short of it is that successful Ukrainian drone attacks have significantly damaged Russia’s refineries, kneecapping its production. Typically, Russia is the world’s second-leading fuel exporter behind Saudi Arabia. The aftershock is felt all the way in the United States (and beyond).
Likewise, fuel is having a difficult time moving through the Strait of Hormuz. While ship volume there used to average around 100 vessels per day, only a single-digit number is being allowed through right now. And no matter where that drastically reduced amount of fossil fuel is headed, a chokepoint affects supply everywhere. Demand certainly hasn’t decreased, making the oil that is available particularly expensive. Of course, this has been the case for some time, as traffic through the strait has been severely restricted since late February. What we’re seeing now is just a continued supply limitation that drives up cost.
Nothing on this scale exists in a vacuum, either. Axios reports that diesel fuel accounts for 3-5% of costs for U.S. farmers producing wheat, corn, and other major crops. Before you even take into account over-the-road transport, its economic impact is substantial.
Then you consider how much this affects truckers, as they’re currently paying an average of $1.94 more per gallon than they were a year ago. On a truck with dual 100-gallon tanks, that’s an additional $388 per fill-up from empty. If we’re being generous, a loaded semi-truck may get eight miles per gallon while loaded on the highway, meaning they might stop for fuel twice in a week. All of this is rough math, but for eight fuel fill-ups per month, that would total $9,040 in diesel alone—$3,104 more than it would have cost in August 2025.
Perhaps you can see how impactful that is on a nation’s economy. When the machinery powering key industries becomes roughly one-third more costly to operate, the pain comes quickly, and this time around, it’s holding on for an especially long bout. Diesel prices have yet to revisit their historic peak of $5.82 per gallon, achieved in May 2022, but 20 cents isn’t far to go considering the hikes we’ve seen already.
Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@thedrive.com
From running point on new car launch coverage to editing long-form features and reviews, Caleb does some of everything at The Drive. And he really, really loves trucks.
