Diesel prices top $6 a gallon for first time ever

Updated on: September 11, 2026 / 4:11 AM EDT / CBS News

Diesel prices in the U.S. have surpassed a painful new milestone for the transportation industry: $6 a gallon, a surge experts said is likely to have ripple effects for consumers as businesses pass on their higher energy costs.

The national average for a gallon of diesel rose to a record $6.05 on Thursday, up more than 60% from $3.71 a year ago, according to data from AAA. Diesel is widely used in trucking and rail, affecting the cost of transporting goods around the U.S., as well as in construction and farming.

Diesel had already surpassed $6, according to GasBuddy, which tracks changes in gas prices in real time.

The price of gasoline continued its recent rapid rise as well, hitting a national average of $4.29 a gallon Friday, AAA reported.

Economists said businesses have largely held off passing along higher diesel prices to consumers. But that is likely to change over the next few months if those costs remain elevated, said Thomas Ryan, a senior North American economist at Capital Economics.

Higher diesel prices are "something that households are going to have to weather at least over the…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/