INDUSTRY FUEL IMPACT REPORT
Fuel and Transport Cost Tracker
Diesel moves, margins follow. This tracker surfaces fuel cost shifts before they hit your bottom line, whether you’re a carrier watching cost-per-mile, a broker managing rate expectations, or a shipper protecting acquisition margins.
How Rising Fuel Costs Are Changing the Price of Moving Cars
October 29, 2026 Update
Diesel prices remain near their conflict-era highs, with the national retail average at $6.35 per gallon for the week of October 26. That’s the second straight weekly gain, though still about 18 cents below the September 21 peak of $6.53, and more than $2.60 higher than a year ago. Crude is trading above $114 per barrel as the Strait of Hormuz remains constrained and the U.S. is reportedly preparing to renew strikes on Iran after the November 3 midterm elections.
On the ground, auto transport prices have softened slightly even as fuel costs stay elevated: the daily average price per mile stands at $1.09, with the seven-day weighted volume average at $1.04. Whether you’re a carrier setting rates or a shipper planning your next move, the data is clear: price to today’s reality. Use this tracker to stay current.
Key Data Points:
Auto transport prices have eased from late September but remain well above pre-conflict levels, with the daily average at $1.09 per mile and the seven-day weighted volume average at $1.04. That’s roughly 30% above the $0.84 pre-conflict baseline. The seven-day average has slipped from $1.07 a month ago even as diesel holds above $6.00, so rates are not moving in lockstep with fuel costs right now.
The national average for on-highway diesel rose 7.6 cents to $6.35 per gallon for the week of October 26, following a 9.7-cent gain the week before. Diesel has now held above $6.00 for six straight weeks, and prices are more than $2.60 above last year’s level.
The EIA’s October 2026 Short-Term Energy Outlook raised its fourth-quarter Brent forecast to $105 per barrel, $14 higher than the prior month, citing constrained Middle East oil flows, attacks on energy infrastructure, and tight diesel markets. The agency expects prices to ease gradually to about $84 in 2027, but that outlook was finalized October 1, before Brent climbed back above $114.
Auto Transport Costs Are Up 30% From Pre-Conflict Levels
Auto transport prices have held above $1.00 per mile for months. The daily average now stands at $1.09 and the seven-day weighted volume average at $1.04, down slightly from late September and below the $1.20 peak recorded on June 7. The roughly 30% increase from pre-conflict levels reflects sustained diesel costs above $6.00 per gallon and a Hormuz situation that has yet to normalize. With crude back above $114 and possible U.S. strikes after the midterms, fuel-driven cost pressure is likely to continue into year-end.
Last Updated: October 29, 2026
How Fuel Prices Flow Through to Auto Transport Costs
What the data also shows is a meaningful gap between how much diesel has risen and how much transport pricing has moved. Diesel is up approximately 37–46% from pre-conflict levels. Auto transport pricing has not moved proportionally, but that’s expected. We can do some simple math to see what price movement we expect from carriers.
| Costs | Percent |
|---|---|
| Fuel | 25% |
| Other Costs** | 61% |
| Profit Margin | 14% |
**Other Costs include: Driver wages, truck payments, insurance, maintenance, permits, tolls
If a carrier wanted to maintain $14 of profit for every $100 of load moved, here’s how they would have to raise their prices as the price of fuel increased:
| Fuel Price Increase | 0% | 20% | 40% | 50% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Load Price | $100 | $105 | $110 | $113 |
| Fuel | $25 | $30 | $35 | $38 |
| Other Costs | $61 | $61 | $61 | $61 |
| Profit | $14 | $14 | $14 | $14 |
| % Increase in Load Price | 0% | 5% | 10% | 13% |
Since the start of the conflict, our data shows auto transport load prices rose approximately 11% from around $0.84 to roughly $0.95 per mile before stabilizing in that range. When diesel climbs 50%, carriers would need to raise prices 13% to maintain their profits. So the data says carriers not passing on all their increased fuel costs to shippers.
This differs from what we saw before. When diesel prices rose 45%, we saw carriers raise their load pricing to cover all their fuel cost increases. The fact that load prices have plateaued suggests the market has found a temporary ceiling and carriers are sharing in the pain. However, that could shift quickly if fuel costs continue to climb. We update this tracker regularly, so check back often.
This Disruption Has a Longer Tail Than Past Spikes
The Strait of Hormuz carries approximately 20 million barrels per day, roughly 20% of global maritime oil trade, and its closure has been described as the largest energy supply disruption since the 1970s. Analysts estimate three to four months for Gulf production to fully restore, with the oil price floor unlikely to return to pre-conflict levels. The IEA’s emergency release of 400 million barrels, the largest in history, provided temporary relief but did not reverse the underlying supply picture.
The current pricing environment is not a spike with a clear near-term resolution.
What This Means for Your Operation
Dealers and auctions: Build a transport cost buffer into your acquisition math now. Units sourced today will be delivered into a higher-cost environment than what you underwrote at purchase.
Fleets and leasing: Loads quoted before February 28 are being re-priced across the industry. This is diesel economics, not carrier opportunism. Build flexibility into Q2 transport agreements.
Brokers: When diesel moves this fast, all-in rate models create real margin compression. Pricing Insights pulls from real accepted-offer data so you’re quoting from what lanes are clearing today, not January.
Tools to Help You Navigate This
Our Pricing Insights tool pulls current market rate data by lane from real accepted offers on the Super Dispatch platform. When prices are moving fast, quoting from live data is the difference between competitive and underwater.
Super Dispatch will soon be offering carriers access to fuel savings that directly offset pump costs through our upcoming SuperCard! When your carriers’ margins are healthier, your loads move faster and more reliably. Click below to let us know you’re interested to get early access!
About This Data
Transport pricing data shown represents a normalized subset of orders processed through the Super Dispatch platform. Filters applied: single-VIN orders; 500–1,000 mile moves; operable SUVs; and order status is picked up or delivered. Dates reflect date that the carrier and shipper agreed to pricing. This subset is statistically meaningful in size and is designed to isolate comparable moves for consistent trend analysis. It does not represent the Super Dispatch marketplace in aggregate.