{
  "id": 16783994,
  "title": "Diesel Is Breaking Records While Gasoline Stays Cheap, And The Reason Is Not What Most Truckers Think",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/diesel-is-breaking-records-while-gasoline-stays-cheap-and-the-reason",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-27T18:33:56.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "FreightWaves",
    "slug": "freightwaves",
    "url": "https://www.freightwaves.com/news/diesel-is-breaking-records-while-gasoline-stays-cheap-and-the-reason-is-not-what-most-truckers-think"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "For months, diesel prices have surged while gasoline prices remain relatively low, baffling truckers who believe the cause is related to oil prices. Patrick De Haan, a GasBuddy analyst tracking pump prices since 2009, explains that the real reason behind the high diesel prices lies in refining capacity, not oil shortages.\n\nDiesel has broken records, surpassing its 2022 peak of $5.81 per gallon and touching around $6.50 before settling at approximately $6.35. In contrast, gasoline remains around 70 cents below its 2022 high. This divergence is unique compared to the 2022 post-pandemic inflation, where both fuels set records together.\n\nThe issue stems from a loss of refining capacity instead of a crude oil shortage. Diesel prices are sensitive to heavy crude production, as countries producing heavy crude face challenges in refining. The center of this year's disruptions includes heavy-crude producers like Iran, which produces around 55% heavy crude. Additionally, the United States, once the world's largest refiner, now lags behind China, which has reduced refining capacity to protect its own crude access and reserves.\n\nRussia's involvement adds another layer to the problem. Since October, Russia has decreased diesel exports due to Ukraine's drone campaign against Russian refineries, resulting in domestic fuel rationing and reduced export supply. At the same time, tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran further impact crude prices, combining both crude-price and refining-capacity factors.\n\nDifferent markets across North America experience varying diesel prices due to the NYMEX ultra-low-sulfur diesel contract and regional refining balances. These differences can range from 40 to 60 cents per gallon, depending on the location. The Colonial Pipeline, which runs from Houston to New York, contributes to price variations along its path. While some areas near the Gulf Coast, with more refining capacity, may have lower prices, the same export-capable coast can become more expensive when Europe's demand increases.",
  "summary": "For the better part of eight months the price of diesel has climbed to levels that gasoline has not come close to matching, and for a carrier whose single largest variable cost is the fuel in the tank, that split is not a curiosity but a direct hit to the bottom line, which is why […] The post Diesel Is Breaking Records While Gasoline Stays Cheap, And The Reason Is Not What Most Truckers Think…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}