Fleet leaders offer strategies for managing rising diesel costs
From route optimization and driver coaching to equipment speccing and tracking metrics, here's how three fleets are navigating...
Carriers whose fuel surcharges reset based on the previous month’s average cost of diesel are absorbing the cost of fuel price increases, which reached $6.29 a gallon in September — the highest monthly average in the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) weekly data going back to 1994, according to Magnus Technologies’ September 2026 Diesel Fuel Snapshot.
That average was up nearly 68% above September 2025 and $0.78 from August, working out to about 12 cents per mile at 6.5 mpg. According to Magnus, a lag in fuel surcharge reset is costing carriers roughly $300 per truck on a 2,500-mile week based on that calculation.
Prices continue to rise. The national average for on-highway diesel fuel was $6.352 per gallon as of Oct. 26, according to the EIA.
With these recurring record highs, fuel management has become a necessity in carriers’ success in the market. Three fleet leaders recently shared what they’re doing to preserve their margins during a panel on navigating fuel volatility at Trimble’s 2026 Insight conference.
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