Diesel Prices Fall 16.5 Cents: EIA Puts U.S. at $6.127

EIA diesel falls again. Compare the November 9 national average with your route before changing the fuel budget.

AI-generated editorial illustration; not documentary photography.

The new price is for November 9

The U.S. average retail on-highway diesel price fell to $6.127 per gallon for November 9, according to the Energy Information Administration release dated November 10. That is 16.5 cents below the November 2 reading of $6.292. The weekly decrease is approximately 2.62%. These are retail diesel prices including taxes, not gasoline prices or a particular truck stop's offer.

For an owner-operator, the useful next step is to update the fuel assumption for the next assignment while keeping the route and expected gallons visible. A lower national average does not establish what a station will charge, what a fuel-card contract will return or what a customer's surcharge will pay. Those are separate entries in the trip calculation.

A regional comparison, with the labels intact

EIA's highest reported region is the West Coast at $7.110 per gallon, while the Lower Atlantic is the lowest at $5.694. The difference is $1.416. The Gulf Coast regional average is $5.741. None of these regional figures is a Texas or Houston diesel price. The largest weekly regional decline is in the Rocky Mountain region, down 23.9 cents to $6.206.

The four-week national comparison also matters: the October 12 reading was $6.179, leaving the latest price 5.2 cents lower. A weekly move and a four-week move answer different questions. Keep the period beside each number instead of describing both as the same decline. The accompanying EIA table remains the reference for the geography and observation date.

Turn the change into a transparent example

Consider a purely illustrative purchase of 150 gallons. Multiplying those gallons by the weekly national decrease of $0.165 gives $24.75. That is the difference between two benchmark calculations using the same quantity. It is not a promised saving on a fuel receipt, and it does not include a change in gallons, discounts, fees, route or time.

If your plan requires a different quantity, substitute it rather than adopting the example. Keep purchased gallons separate from estimated consumption. A purchase can cover more than one assignment, while a trip budget can include fuel already in the tank. Mixing the two can make a useful price comparison look like a change in the truck's operating performance.

Use the receipt and the assignment together

A practical worksheet can have one row for the planned stop and another for the completed purchase. In the planning row, record the location, date, expected gallons and quoted price or documented pricing method. In the actual row, retain the receipt and any separately documented adjustment. Label an unconfirmed discount as unconfirmed rather than silently subtracting it.

For a route comparison, identify the additional distance and time as separate assumptions. This article does not recommend a detour or choose a station. A lower displayed price alone does not complete that decision, and a national table cannot establish parking access, opening hours or whether the equipment can use a particular stop.

Keep the customer payment on its own line

If the assignment has a fuel-surcharge arrangement, consult the actual agreement for its reference series, observation period and calculation. Do not automatically substitute today's national price into a contract that specifies another period or method. Likewise, do not treat a reduction in a fuel benchmark as a matching reduction in the amount paid for the load.

The same separation helps when reviewing a completed week. Compare the trip's revenue, documented fuel expense and other recorded costs without presenting the fuel-price movement as a complete profit calculation. No conclusion about a carrier's margin follows from the EIA table alone.

A short check before changing the budget

• Confirm that the row is diesel, with the November 9 observation date.
• Identify national, regional and state figures correctly.
• Keep the gallon assumption identical when comparing two prices.
• Record the actual stop's price and any verified adjustment separately.
• Check the surcharge terms before changing the customer-payment calculation.

Open the original EIA update below to compare the period and region with the next assignment. Retain the dated benchmark with the worksheet, then reconcile the plan against the actual purchase. The objective is a traceable fuel budget, not a promise that every operator will capture the headline decrease.

Original source: U.S. Energy Information Administration.