refineries

Diesel prices have spiked to $5.96 per gallon in premium markets as escalating Middle East tensions collide with America’s crumbling refinery base. The surge comes at a critical inflection point for trucking, with tender rejection rates climbing and capacity tightening after a brutal four-year freight recession, raising questions about whether the industry can capitalize on the recovery when fuel costs threaten to erase margin gains.

If the U.S. curbed gasoline and diesel exports, tankers would sail longer distances to replace lost volumes — a plus for tanker earnings.

Hurricane Ida made landfall near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, as a Category 4 hurricane on Aug. 29

Learn more about refineries

Americans used about 123 billion gallons of motor gasoline in 2020

From refinery to consumer

FreightWaves’ Freight Intel Group has released a new study of the impact of IMO 2020 on the U.S. trucking industries (and other industries). Read what may happen to diesel fuel prices.

IMO 2020 is will increase demand for distillates and put upward pressure on diesel. How should truckers prepare?

So far this year, there has been heightened refinery downtime for maintenance and upgrades, but the tide is expected to turn in the second half, to the benefit of product-tanker rates.

A united retail fuel industry thanked EPA and the Trump administration for hearing and responding to their concerns and proposing renewable fuel obligations.