The national average price of diesel has crossed $6 a gallon, setting a new record for U.S. drivers.
According to AAA, the national average reached $6.0556 per gallon on Friday, September 11. AAA lists that price as the highest recorded diesel average in its data.
The increase has happened quickly. Diesel averaged $5.9773 on Thursday, $5.85 a week ago, and $5.3213 a month ago. One year ago, the national average was $3.7053, according to AAA.
For RV owners with large diesel tanks, that difference adds up fast. A 100-gallon fill-up at Friday’s national average costs about $606. At last year’s average price, the same fill-up would have cost about $371, a difference of roughly $235.
Reuters reported Thursday that GasBuddy’s national diesel average had also crossed $6 per gallon for the first time. The report pointed to several pressures on diesel supplies, including disruptions tied to the war with Iran, Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries and fuel export restrictions from Russia and China.
Trump says oil prices may not fall until after the election
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he expects elevated oil prices to continue through the November midterm elections.
“Right after the election, oil prices are going to be tumbling downward,” Trump told reporters, according to the Associated Press. “I think it’s going to take a little bit longer than the midterm.”
Trump made the comments as crude oil prices again climbed above $100 per barrel amid continued fighting and disruptions to energy shipments from the Middle East.
Those oil prices remain volatile. Reuters reported Friday that Brent crude and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude both fell more than 3% during the day, but were still on track for weekly gains of more than 8%. Diesel, meanwhile, remained above $6 and at a record high.
Diesel supplies are unusually tight
High crude prices are only part of the problem.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration said this week that U.S. inventories of distillate fuel oil, which is commonly sold as diesel, are expected to fall below 100 million barrels in September.
EIA expects inventories to remain below the five-year low through the end of 2026 and most of 2027. The agency said U.S. supplies have been affected by the loss of large amounts of distillate production from the Middle East, Russia and China.
That shortage matters well beyond diesel-powered RVs and pickup trucks. Diesel fuels much of the country’s trucking, farming and freight network.
The Associated Press reported Friday that higher diesel costs are already increasing transportation expenses for everyday goods because trucks, trains, ships and farm equipment depend heavily on the fuel.
For RVers, the change is more immediate and visible at the pump. A national diesel average that was below $4 a gallon one year ago has now moved past $6 for the first time, with AAA setting another record Friday.
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