The national average price of diesel topped $6 a gallon for the first time Thursday, and North Texas shoppers are next in line even if they never fill a diesel tank.
AAA put the U.S. diesel average at $6.06 on Friday, a record. Dallas is not at $6 yet, but it is close. AAA listed the Dallas diesel average at $5.83 a gallon Friday, also a local high, up from about $3.27 a year ago. Texas statewide diesel averaged $5.67, AAA said. Regular gasoline in Dallas was $3.88.
Most households do not buy diesel. They buy what diesel moves. GasBuddy petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan said Thursday that “every grocery run just got more expensive,” because diesel powers the trucks that stock stores, deliver packages and haul furniture. CBS News reported that economists expect those costs to pass through in the coming months if prices stay high. Capital Economics senior economist Thomas Ryan told CBS households will “have to weather” higher diesel “at least over the remainder of this year.”
HISTORY: diesel has crossed $6/gal nationally for the first time ever, according to live GasBuddy data. every truck, every delivery, every package, every grocery run just got more expensive. the cost of moving everything in america just hit a record. Statement⬇️ (9/10/26, 3p CT) pic.twitter.com/zijqu6vD9i
— Patrick De Haan (@GasBuddyGuy) September 10, 2026
Michigan State University food economist David Ortega told CBS News refrigerated foods that travel far — seafood and fresh produce — are most exposed. Nonperishables and locally grown items are more insulated. De Haan also warned destination charges on furniture and new cars could rise.
The Labor Department said Thursday that diesel, which jumped 24.1% in August, accounted for more than a third of the increase in producer prices for goods that month, CBS News reported. Retailers have been absorbing some of the hit under existing contracts. De Haan said the turning point comes if the spike lasts more than about six weeks and those contracts get rewritten.
CBS News said the surge is tied to tighter global oil supply from the war involving Iran and reduced refining capacity after Ukrainian strikes on Russian facilities. Brent crude traded near $108 a barrel Thursday, the network reported. Gasoline also rose, to a national average of $4.30 on Friday, AAA said.
For a DFW family, the first pinch is not a diesel pump. It is the produce aisle, the delivery fee and the next appliance that has to come off a truck.
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