Buying 30 gallons of diesel in Texas cost nearly $179 on Thursday, about $82 more than a year earlier.
AAA’s national average reached a record $6.3956 per gallon on Thursday, September 17, or $6.40 rounded to the nearest cent. Wednesday’s average was $6.3103. Diesel was up about 42 cents nationally from a week earlier ($5.9773) and $2.69 from a year earlier ($3.7075).
Are Stations Running Out?
Claims that North Texas stations are displaying “OUT,” that an Orlando station is showing $0.00 with dry pumps, and that California stations began posting outage signs Sunday could not be independently verified in this review.
Federal data shows a strained supply cushion.
In its September 16 petroleum report, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said distillate inventories (a category that includes diesel and heating oil) were 13% below their five-year average for the week ending September 11.
A station outage and a national supply shortage are different measures. The federal figures document continued production and below-normal reserves; they do not establish how many individual stations have empty diesel tanks.
What Texans Are Paying
AAA’s Texas data put Thursday’s statewide diesel average at $5.9604 per gallon, compared with $3.2139 a year earlier, an increase of approximately 85%.
Dallas averaged $5.9846, while Fort Worth-Arlington averaged $5.9717.
The strain is already visible locally. On September 15, diesel reportedly cost $6.25 at an Interstate 20 truck stop, where some drivers said they could not afford to fill up, per Fox 4.
How Today’s Prices Compare With History
Diesel has experienced sharp swings before. EIA’s historical series shows these national annual averages:
| Year | Average diesel price per gallon |
|---|---|
| 2008 | $3.80 |
| 2020 | $2.55 |
| 2022 | $4.99 |
| 2023 | $4.21 |
| 2024 | $3.76 |
| 2025 | $3.66 |
The agency’s separate weekly survey reached $6.285 on September 14, up from $5.599 on August 31.
Annual averages, weekly readings and AAA’s daily prices cover different periods and use different methodologies. These dollar figures are not adjusted for inflation.
Why The Cost Reaches Beyond Truck Owners
Diesel powers freight transportation, agricultural equipment and construction machinery. Higher fuel bills can raise the cost of moving food, delivering supplies, and completing building projects.
The Dallas Express previously reported that the producer-price measure for diesel jumped 24.1% in August, while overall wholesale prices rose 5.4% from a year earlier.
That producer-price increase is distinct from the retail pump averages. It nevertheless shows fuel pressure reaching businesses before consumers see the final bill.
Why Prices Are Rising — And When Relief Could Come
EIA’s September outlook connects the squeeze to reduced distillate supplies from the Middle East, Russia and China. Higher international prices have encouraged U.S. exports, putting pressure on domestic inventories.
Fall refinery maintenance and harvest demand could add pressure. Russian refinery outages are expected to affect global markets through the first half of 2027.
The agency expects the spread between diesel and crude prices to ease after November and continue declining into mid-2027, assuming improved tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz allows more fuel onto global markets.
Its September forecast projects national retail diesel averaging $4.40 in 2027, down from $5.07 across 2026. Those are full-year forecasts, not promised pump prices or dates for relief.
The forecast was finalized September 3 and excludes subsequent market developments.
For Texans budgeting their next fill-up, the outlook offers the possibility of gradual relief, with timing dependent on supplies recovering.
