Trucking News · Nebraska · October 26, 2026

Omaha-Area Company Truck Drivers Say Diesel Prices Have Them Worried About Their Livelihoods

A blue semi truck at a diesel island under a lit truck stop canopy at dusk — Illustration for this story. Not a photo of a specific location.

Omaha-area company truck driver Dave Turner has been behind the wheel for more than 25 years, and he says diesel prices have him worried about his livelihood, KETV reported.

"It's just, it's astronomical and almost makes us non-existent," Turner said.

The U.S. average retail diesel price peaked at a record $6.529 a gallon on Sept. 21, 2026, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That is a national average, not an Omaha price.

More time waiting for cheaper fuel

Turner told KETV that diesel prices tend to rise and fall from year to year and from state to state, but that the recent jump is changing the industry.

"A lot more time sitting and waiting for the company to be able to actually find different routes for us, as far as having to route us to the cheapest places to be able to get fuel," he said.

U.S. diesel prices hit a record in September

KETV reported that diesel reached its highest recorded average price last month, at about $6.50 a gallon, and has stayed in that range.

That matches the national figure from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The agency's weekly U.S. retail diesel average peaked at $6.529 a gallon on Sept. 21, 2026, the highest since the series began in 1994. It was $6.276 on Oct. 19.

Small carriers feel it most

Asiwome Faiti, another company driver, told KETV that independent truckers are taking the biggest hit.

"[Independent truckers] don't have capacity to get fuel," Faiti said. "So those are the people suffering, the mom and pop and small businesses here."

Fuel matters well beyond the cab. According to federal transportation data cited by KETV, trucks carried about 65% of U.S. freight by weight in 2024.

A personal worry

For Turner, the concern is about the whole industry, and about his own future in it.

"The ability to actually be able to keep doing my job. I've been doing it so long. I don't know if I could do anything else," he said.

Run your own numbers

Fuel prices can change from week to week. The truck fuel cost calculator estimates fuel for a trip from miles, miles per gallon and price. Owner-operators can see how a price change hits take-home pay with the owner-operator profit calculator, and the load rate checker shows whether a load still covers costs. More are on the trucking tools page.

The differences between running for a carrier and running your own truck are covered in Big Rig Daily's guide, owner-operator vs. company driver.