U.S. Average Diesel Retail Price Tops $6 per Gallon for First Time on September 11

en.Wedoany.com Reported - The U.S. average retail price of diesel surpassed $6 per gallon for the first time on September 11, setting a historic record. According to American Automobile Association (AAA) data, the national average stood at $6.05, up from $5.85 last week and $3.70 a year earlier.

Diesel is the primary fuel for many freight and delivery networks, and rising prices mean higher costs for transporting everyday goods. Some businesses have already passed costs on to consumers through surcharges on online orders and mail parcels. Perishable foods such as meat and agricultural products face the most direct pressure, as they require frequent transport and restocking, or are harvested by diesel-powered agricultural equipment. These cost pass-throughs can take time, and the diesel price surge appears unlikely to subside soon.

Retail prices for diesel and regular gasoline are closely tied to crude oil prices. On September 11, the U.S. average price for regular gasoline was $4.29. As fighting between the United States and Iran escalated again, international benchmark Brent crude and U.S. crude both topped $100 per barrel for the first time in months. U.S. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly sought to downplay the impact of the Iran war, said oil prices may not fall until after the November midterm elections.

U.S. diesel prices are now significantly higher than before the United States and Israel went to war with Iran in late February, when AAA data showed the national average was about $3.76 per gallon. The cost of crude oil, the main feedstock for refined fuels such as diesel and gasoline, has soared due to disruptions to Middle East supply chains, with most tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz blocked. GasBuddy real-time data showed that the national average diesel price surpassed $6 per gallon for the first time ever. Patrick De Haan of GasBuddy said on social media at 3 p.m. Central Time on September 10 that every truck, every delivery, every package, every grocery purchase has become more expensive, and the cost of moving everything in America has just hit a record.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) reported on September 11 that Saudi Arabia's oil production fell to a three-decade low last month after Houthi attacks on its energy facilities. The IEA also noted that the war in Ukraine has amplified losses in the Middle East, with intense Ukrainian strikes disrupting Russia's refining system and nearly halting refined product exports. Although prices had cooled earlier this summer on hopes for peace, oil prices have now resumed their climb as fighting escalates again. International benchmark Brent crude traded above $105 per barrel on September 11, up from about $70 before the war.

Adjusted for inflation, prices have been higher in the past. According to the latest government data, diesel prices reached about $4.74 per gallon before the 2008 financial crisis, equivalent to $7.20 in 2026; the then-record of nearly $5.82 set in 2022, reached a few months after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, amounts to about $6.56 this year in inflation-adjusted terms. On September 11, the average price of regular unleaded gasoline was $4.29 per gallon, up from $2.98 before the Iran war, but still below the 2022 national peak of nearly $5.02 per gallon. For decades, U.S. diesel has been more expensive than gasoline, partly because demand is less elastic and diesel plays a vital role in global commerce, with fewer short-term alternatives for networks that rely on diesel to transport goods.

Diesel is indispensable to every link in the food supply chain, powering agricultural equipment, fishing boats, and the trains and trucks that run to grocery stores.

The Independent Grocers Alliance, which comprises 7,500 supermarkets worldwide, says fuel accounts for about 15% to 30% of total food costs. David Ortega, a professor of food economics and policy at Michigan State University, said goods that require refrigeration during transport tend to see price increases first. In July, overall U.S. grocery prices rose 2.7% year over year, but seafood prices rose 7% and fresh fruit prices rose 4.9%. Ortega cautioned that other factors may also be at play: in July, lettuce also faced higher transport costs, but a cyclospora outbreak reduced demand and pushed prices down. He explained that much of the earlier cost increase was absorbed in the supply chain through existing freight contracts and retailer margins, but as contracts are repriced and fuel surcharges take effect, more costs will pass through to grocery stores. The longer diesel prices remain elevated, the more pressure consumers may feel.

The fuel shock has broad ripple effects. As early as April, e-commerce giant Amazon introduced a temporary 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge for some third-party sellers. United Parcel Service (UPS Inc.), FedEx (FedEx Corp.), and the United States Postal Service also added fees on some shipped packages early in the war, citing higher overall fuel costs. A range of other products, from clothing and cosmetics to furniture, are also transported through diesel-powered networks. Some public transit buses and trains also run on diesel, and diesel generators are commonly used for backup or emergency power, and in some remote parts of the world are even the primary source of electricity.

Experts warn that the consequences could continue to deepen, especially in African and Asian countries that rely more on Middle East imports and have already been hit hardest by the energy shock. According to the latest Global Petrol Prices data, since late February, diesel prices have risen more than 90% in Nigeria, nearly 87% in Indonesia, and 80% in Lebanon. As of September 7, the average diesel price in Nigeria was about $4.95 per gallon (1,730 naira per liter). The highest listed price reported by Global Petrol Prices was in Hong Kong, where diesel prices rose nearly 26% during the war, with an average price of $17.78 per gallon (nearly HK$37 per liter) on September 7.

S&P Global Energy said on September 10 that it currently does not expect Middle East crude production to return to pre-war levels by the end of 2027. Jim Burkhard, vice president and head of global crude oil research at the company, said the market has not returned to calm but is adapting to a new normal, with security and logistics challenges continuing to constrain oil flows.