Diesel 101: Why Truck Stop Diesel Is Still Above $6 a Gallon as Crude Falls
Truck stop diesel hit $6.23/gal on Nov. 9, up 65% YoY, even as Brent fell 21%. SONAR's Diesel 101 sitrep explains the crack spread and what comes next.
SONAR’s new sitrep traces diesel from crude to truck stop and explains why prices are holding near record highs, even as Brent drops.
Diesel is expensive because refined product supply, not crude, is the bottleneck. Middle East and Russian refinery damage, longer tanker routes and thin U.S. inventories have pushed the diesel crack spread to about three times its early-2026 level.
SONAR’s truck stop diesel index (DTS.USA) was $6.23 per gallon on Nov. 9, 2026, up 65% from $3.78 a year earlier. That is about $0.89 per mile in fuel at 7 miles per gallon. SONAR’s new sitrep, Diesel 101: Prices and Logistics Markets, breaks down where that price comes from and what it means for carriers, shippers and brokers.
The sitrep splits the Nov. 9 truck stop price into three parts using SONAR daily data:
This story was originally published by FreightWaves. Read the full story at FreightWaves →
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