Trucking News · Nationwide · October 29, 2026

A Truck Stop Network CEO Says Diesel Will Stay High for Truckers Until at Least Spring

By Big Rig Daily Staff

Diesel prices may stay high until spring at the earliest, according to the head of a national truck stop network. Chuck Ryan, president and CEO of AMBEST, told FreightWaves he does not expect prices to fall significantly before then, even if crude oil prices retreat. For truckers, that means fuel costs could stay elevated through the winter.

The price now

The U.S. average retail price of diesel was $6.352 a gallon on Oct. 26, up from $3.718 a year earlier, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), as reported by Transport Topics. That report notes diesel remains more than 70% above year-ago levels, and that taxes make up about 11% of the pump price.

What the executives said

Ryan spoke Tuesday, Oct. 27, at the WEX OTR Summit in Jacksonville, Florida. "I don't see it coming down until spring, and that's if things start to work out on the war front," he said. "If oil dropped today, that does not mean the price will go down. In fact, I think we will have this problem for the next several months, whether the wars end or not."

He said conflicts involving Iran and Russia's war in Ukraine have disrupted global energy supplies, while U.S. refining and transportation infrastructure remains constrained. The U.S. had more than 300 operating refineries in 1980, compared with about 128 today, Ryan said. "There's no space in the pipelines. There's no space in the terminals," he said.

Denton Cinquegrana, director of energy research at Dow Jones Energy, said U.S. refineries have been running above 95% of capacity, which leaves little room if a major facility has an unplanned outage.

Winter risk in the Northeast

Ryan said the Northeast is especially vulnerable, because diesel and heating oil compete for pipeline space in cold weather. "If it gets cold in the northeast, pipeline space is going to be consumed by heating oil, and diesel oil won't make the line," he said. He advised fleets to line up more than one fuel supplier.

Look at the net price

Panelists also said fleets should compare what they actually pay, not only advertised discounts. Meghann Erhart, chief commercial officer at Maverik, described a customer who moved to a provider offering a bigger discount, only to find Maverik's net price was 7.5 cents a gallon lower.

Quick facts

• Forecast: diesel not expected to fall until spring at the earliest, per AMBEST's CEO.
• EIA U.S. average diesel price, Oct. 26: $6.352 a gallon, versus $3.718 a year earlier.
• U.S. refineries: more than 300 in 1980, about 128 today, per Ryan.
• AMBEST network: more than 580 branded fuel locations, per Ryan.

Big Rig Daily has also covered what high diesel costs a truck each day and why wholesale diesel swung 80 cents. To estimate your own trip costs, use the truck fuel cost calculator.

A question for readers

How are you planning around diesel prices this winter: changing routes, fuel cards or cutting trips?

Save this story for later

Save this to Pinterest