Diesel Falls 9 Cents, Still 46 Cents Above Mid-July

The national on-highway diesel average fell to $5.257 a gallon for the week of August 10, down 9.1 cents from $5.348. It is the first break in the run-up, but the price is still 46.1 cents above where it sat on July 13.

Diesel Falls 9 Cents, Still 46 Cents Above Mid-July

Diesel finally went down. Nine cents. The national on-highway average landed at $5.257 a gallon for the week of August 10, from $5.348 the week before, according to the Energy Information Administration. That is the first real break after a month of climbing — and it barely dents the month.

The number that matters more than the drop

Four weeks earlier, on July 13, the same national average was $4.796. So even after this week's nine cents, diesel is still 46.1 cents a gallon higher than it was in mid-July — a 9.6% increase over four weeks.

One down week does not undo a month. If you priced a lane in July and have not touched it since, the drop does not get you back to even.

What nine cents actually does to your cost per mile

Take a tractor running 6.5 miles per gallon — use your own number if you track it, this is just to size the move.

  • This week's drop: 9.1 cents a gallon works out to about 1.4 cents per mile. Over 2,500 miles, roughly $35.
  • Versus mid-July: 46.1 cents a gallon is about 7.1 cents per mile. Over the same 2,500 miles, roughly $177 a week more than you were burning four weeks ago.

That is the honest scale of it. The weekly headline moves pennies; the month moves real money.

Why this matters for your fuel surcharge

Most fuel surcharge schedules are keyed to this exact number — the EIA weekly on-highway average — and they update on a lag. That cuts both ways.

When the price climbs, the surcharge catches up behind you and you eat the difference for a week or two. When it falls, the surcharge stays high a little longer. This week is the second case. It is a small, temporary tailwind, and it is worth knowing it exists rather than discovering it on a settlement sheet.

Where it is worst

California remains the most expensive state the EIA publishes, at $6.618 a gallon, down 9.8 cents on the week. That is $1.36 above the national average. If you run into California, that spread is the whole planning problem: it is worth more than most rate negotiations.

One caution on this dataset: the EIA does not publish a weekly figure for all fifty states. Much of what it reports is regional. If someone quotes you a "state" diesel price that is not on the EIA's short list, ask where the number came from.

What to do with this week

  • Do not re-rate a lane on one week. Nine cents is inside normal weekly noise; 46 cents over a month is not.
  • Check your surcharge lag. Know which week's number your customer's schedule uses. That single fact decides whether a falling week helps you or not.
  • Use your own mpg. The cents-per-mile above assumes 6.5. At 5.5 the same swing costs you more; at 7.5 it costs less. Your number is the only one that matters.
  • Idle is still the cheapest gallon you can save. At $5.26 a gallon, hours of idling add up faster than the weekly price move does. Our APU coverage is at gogreenapu.com.

Fuel is the one cost that moves every week whether you look at it or not. More operator-side cost coverage is at thetrucksavers.com.

Original source

U.S. Energy Information Administration — Weekly U.S. No. 2 Diesel Retail Prices, historical series. Figures for the week of August 10, 2026, retrieved and verified August 11, 2026.