How diesel prices and pending truck rules could hike your grocery bill

Rising gas prices have garnered a lot of attention, but diesel costs have also surged in recent weeks amid escalating military tensions with Iran.

The average price of a gallon of diesel in the United States was $6.39 on Sept. 17, according to AAA. That's up from an average of $5.97 on Sept. 10, and $3.70 a gallon on Sept. 17, 2025, the group said.

By comparison, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in the United States was $4.43 on Sept. 16.

Those higher diesel costs have translated to increased grocery prices for many consumers, because shipping companies usually make deliveries to stores in diesel-powered trucks. Higher shipping costs are passed on to consumers rather than being absorbed by grocery chains.

While they're fending off complaints from voters about the higher gas and diesel prices, the Trump administration has moved to rollback stringent emission rules for trucks that trucking companies say could increase the cost of a single truck by as much as $12,000. Those costs could presumably be passed onto to consumers too.

Consumer advocates say customers were already being squeezed by higher prices caused by other factors like inflation before diesel prices started spiking this…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/money/