Diesel Drops 17 Cents to $6.13, Still Up $2.29 Year Over Year
National diesel fell to $6.127 per gallon the week of November 10, down 17 cents from the prior week but still $2.29 higher than November 2025.
Why did diesel prices drop this week?
National on-highway diesel fell 17 cents to $6.127 per gallon the week ending November 10, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Gasoline dropped 16 cents to $3.995, slipping below $4 for the first time since July. The week-over-week drop is the sharpest single-week decline since late summer, but diesel remains $2.29 per gallon higher than the same week in 2025. Gasoline is up 94 cents year over year.
The drop followed the midterm elections, though no single factor explains the retreat. Possible contributors include seasonal demand shifts, refinery output changes, and crude price movement in the days after the vote. The EIA data does not attribute the decline to a specific cause.
What the fuel drop means for settlement statements
A 17-cent drop saves a truck running 2,500 miles per week at 6 mpg roughly $71 in fuel cost for the week. Over a month, that compounds to $284 per truck. For a 10-truck fleet, the monthly savings approach $2,840 if prices hold at the new level. Those savings assume no change in miles run or fuel surcharge pass-through.
The year-over-year comparison tells a different story. Diesel up $2.29 per gallon means the same truck pays $955 more per month than it did in November 2025. A 10-truck fleet carries an extra $9,550 monthly fuel bill compared to last year. Fuel surcharges tied to the EIA index have risen in parallel, but fuel prices topped carriers' worry list for the first time since 2014 in ATRI's October survey, suggesting surcharges have not kept pace with the climb.
Regional diesel price movement
The EIA report shows diesel retreating across all U.S. regions, though the source does not break out per-region price levels or week-over-week changes beyond the national average. Fleets running coast-to-coast lanes saw the national average drop uniformly, but regional spreads between the Gulf Coast, Midwest, and West Coast can still swing 30 to 50 cents per gallon depending on refinery throughput and pipeline capacity.
How long the drop lasts
Diesel prices have moved in both directions since gasoline hit $4.48 in early May, up 50% from pre-war levels. The November 10 reading marks the first time gasoline has dipped below $4 since July, but the year-over-year delta shows fuel costs remain structurally elevated. Whether the post-election drop holds through year-end depends on crude prices, refinery runs, and heating oil demand as winter approaches. The EIA releases updated regional data weekly.
The bill for a small fleet
A five-truck fleet running 12,500 miles per week collectively (2,500 per truck) burns roughly 2,083 gallons per week at 6 mpg. At $6.127 per gallon, the weekly fuel bill is $12,764. The 17-cent drop saves $354 per week, or $1,416 per month if sustained. But compared to November 2025, when diesel averaged $3.837, the same fleet now pays $4,770 more per week, or $19,080 more per month. Fuel surcharge recovery varies by customer and contract, but the gap between current prices and year-ago levels remains the largest cost headwind for small fleets heading into 2027.
