# Diesel Up 69% in a Year, Rates Climb Too | Big Rig Daily

> US diesel averaged $6.22 a gallon in October 2026, up 69% from $3.68 a year earlier, according to EIA data. Spot freight rates rose more than 44% year over year in September, but fuel costs are absorbing much of the gain for truckers.

- Date: 2026-10-31 · published 2026-11-01T06:09:16.446Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/4162-diesel-up-69-in-a-year-rates-climb-too-big-rig-daily
- Commodities: [ULSD / Diesel](https://feedsoft.ai/c/DIESEL.md)

## Why it matters

Higher diesel costs squeeze trucking margins and push up delivered costs for feed ingredients, while firmer freight rates signal tighter truck capacity.

## Read by commodity

- DIESEL: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DIESEL | 2026-10-28 | [Railroads Say High Diesel Is Winning Freight \| Big Rig Daily](https://feedsoft.ai/events/280-railroads-say-high-diesel-is-winning-freight-big-rig-daily.md) | -4.2% | — |
| DIESEL | 2026-09-28 | [Diesel Up 10 Cents, Spot Rates Up 2: Margin Squeeze](https://feedsoft.ai/events/17658-diesel-up-10-cents-spot-rates-up-2-margin-squeeze.md) | -4.7% | +5.3% |
| DIESEL | 2017-08-31 | [Harvey effect: Texas rates climbing, diesel could jump 15-25 cents, high-dollar FEMA loads available \| Overdrive](https://feedsoft.ai/events/69624-harvey-effect-texas-rates-climbing-diesel-could-jump-15-25-cents-high-dollar.md) | +7.1% | +8.9% |
| DIESEL | 2021-05-12 | [Diesel outages starting to rise in Southeast on back of Colonial closure - FreightWaves](https://feedsoft.ai/events/47276-diesel-outages-starting-to-rise-in-southeast-on-back-of-colonial-closure.md) | +0.6% | +3.9% |
| DIESEL | 2021-02-18 | [Diesel fuel in short supply in Texas; prices on the rise - FreightWaves](https://feedsoft.ai/events/48825-diesel-fuel-in-short-supply-in-texas-prices-on-the-rise-freightwaves.md) | +4.0% | +3.4% |

## Sources

- bigrigdaily.com: https://bigrigdaily.com/diesel-up-69-percent-year-freight-rates-spot-dat-eia/

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.