U.S. Diesel Hits $5.13 a Gallon, Lifting Grocery and Shipping Costs

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 22

$5.13 diesel is emerging as the Iran conflict’s broadest U.S. economic hit, up from $3.56 in January 2025 and poised to raise prices far beyond the gas pump.
The surge is tied to the Strait of Hormuz disruption, where about 20 million barrels of oil a day move and refined fuels also transit, tightening diesel supplies after the conflict.
A semi-truck getting 6 to 7 miles per gallon can now cost more than $1,280 to fill its roughly 250-gallon tanks, pushing up freight costs for groceries, consumer goods and construction materials.
Economists say diesel matters more than gasoline for inflation because it powers tractors, irrigation pumps and delivery fleets, making food prices especially vulnerable even if crude markets later stabilize.
Those costs could outlast the headlines because refining and distribution lag oil-market moves, adding political pressure ahead of the 2026 midterms as affordability remains central.