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What it costs to run a truck in 2026: diesel, insurance and equipment

By Truck Vera team ·

Diesel hit record highs this month, on top of record operating costs in 2025. Where costs stand and how dispatchers can protect margins.

Updated September 28, 2026

Running a truck costs more in 2026 than ever before, and fuel is the biggest reason. Here is where diesel, insurance and equipment stand, according to the latest figures, and what dispatchers can do about it.

Diesel is at record highs

  • The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) put the national average on-highway diesel price at $6.529 a gallon on September 21, 2026. That's up 24.4 cents in one week and $2.78 from a year earlier.
  • The climb has been steep: $5.967 on September 7, $6.285 on September 14 and $6.529 on September 21.
  • Prices vary widely by region. California was highest at $8.246 a gallon and the Lower Atlantic lowest at $6.139 (EIA, September 21).
  • The American Action Forum reported that diesel passed its previous record, $5.78 in June 2022, in early September. It points to several causes:
  • a de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz lasting about six months, which cut roughly 20% of global crude oil and petroleum supplies;
  • a Russian diesel export ban from July 2026, extended through September, which removed about 10% of globally traded diesel;
  • US refineries running at 98% of capacity by late August, with no room to make more;
  • jet fuel competing with diesel for the same part of each barrel.
  • The same analysis estimates that the $1.61-a-gallon rise since February 2026 cost the domestic transportation sector about $34.8 billion through August.

Costs were already at a record before this year's spike

  • The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) found that the average cost to run a truck in 2025 was $2.336 a mile, 3.4% more than the year before and the highest in the report's history. Without fuel, it was $1.854 a mile, up 4.2%.
  • Margins are thin. ATRI reports average operating margins below 1% for truckload and refrigerated carriers, and an average loss of 0.5% for flatbed carriers.
  • ATRI says first-quarter 2026 data "show a continuation of most 2025 cost trends". Its 2025 figures come before this year's diesel spike.

Insurance keeps climbing

C.H. Robinson's September market update says: "Insurance remains one of the fastest-growing operating expenses, with several carriers reporting double-digit increases."

Equipment

  • ATRI found that large fleets spent 16.1% more on truck and trailer purchases in 2025. Driver pay rose more slowly than inflation for the second year in a row.
  • New truck orders are modest. ACT Research counted roughly 9,700 Class 8 orders in August (via Arrive Logistics).

What it means for dispatchers (our advice)

  • Know each truck's cost per mile. Use your own numbers where you have them; ATRI's $2.336 is only an industry average. Don't book below cost just to keep a truck moving.
  • Check the fuel surcharge on every rate confirmation. With diesel moving 20 to 30 cents a week, a surcharge set weeks ago may no longer cover fuel. For example, a truck that gets 6.5 miles per gallon pays about 43 cents more per mile when diesel is $2.78 a gallon higher.
  • Price fuel by region. Loads into California or other high-price areas cost more to run; factor in where the truck will fuel.
  • Cut deadhead. Every empty mile now costs more fuel. Plan the next load before the current one delivers.
  • Look after insurance. A clean safety and inspection record helps at renewal time, and brokers check it too. Start renewal shopping early.
  • Watch cash flow. Invoice as soon as the POD is in, and follow up on slow payers. Fuel has to be paid for long before the broker pays.

Sources