Diesel is now trucking’s No. 1 worry for 2026

Posted October 26, 2026

Every year the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) asks the industry what worries it most. This year the answer is the number on the pump.

What happened. ATRI released its 2026 Top Industry Issues report on October 18, 2026, at the American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exhibition in Charlotte, N.C. Nearly 3,100 people answered the survey: carriers, drivers, owner-operators and other freight stakeholders.

• Fuel prices ranked No. 1, up from 18th in 2025. It is only the fourth time fuel has topped the list in the survey’s 22-year history, after 2005, 2008 and 2022.
• The rest of the top 5: lawsuit abuse reform, CSA, insurance cost and availability, and the driver shortage.
• Drivers and carriers split: driver respondents put fuel first, the first time ATRI has seen that. Carriers ranked lawsuit abuse reform first and fuel second.

The numbers behind it. The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s latest weekly report (for October 19, released October 20) put the national on-highway diesel average at $6.276 a gallon, up 9.7 cents in a week and $2.656 higher than a year earlier. The Midwest average was $6.352. EIA’s next update is due October 27.

What it means. At these prices fuel is the biggest swing cost in a truck’s budget, and it can move every week. ATRI also reported operating margins below 1% in truckload and refrigerated, so there is very little cushion. Small fleets and owner-operators feel it first, and shippers see it in fuel surcharges.

What to do:

• Carriers: make sure every rate confirmation spells out the fuel surcharge and which weekly EIA price it follows.
• Owner-operators: know your true cost per mile with today’s diesel price, not last year’s, before you accept a load.
• Cut waste: idle time and empty miles burn the same $6 fuel as paid miles.
• Shippers and brokers: expect surcharges to move week to week and budget for it, rather than pushing carriers to absorb it.
• Watch the weekly number: EIA posts the national and regional diesel averages every week.

Plain-English summary for general information, not legal advice. Check the source before acting.