Cost per mile
Diesel fuel cost per mile
96.8 cents a mile for the week of Nov 2, 2026, at a stated 6.5 mpg reference. About $484.00 of fuel for a 500-mile haul. Fuel only; not an all-in operating cost.
Data through Nov 2, 2026 · source last checked Nov 5, 2026 · page revised Nov 3, 2026
Cite
- Cost per mile
About this data
- Source
- Derived from EIA weekly on-highway diesel survey
- Series
- Fuel cost per mile at a 6.5 mpg reference
- Basis
- Fuel only, 6.5 mpg reference efficiency
- Geography
- United States
- Unit
- cents/mile
- Calculation
- Weekly (survey week)
- Last observation
- Nov 2, 2026
- Update frequency
- Weekly
At the stated 6.5 mpg reference, this week's $6.292/gal puts fuel at 96.8 cents a mile, about $484.00 for a 500-mile haul. The week's move trims about $4.62 from the fuel cost of a 500-mile haul.
The EIA weekly on-highway diesel survey for the week of November 2 sets the DOE number at $6.292/gal, translating to 96.8 cents a mile at the stated 6.5 mpg reference. The week's drop of 6.0 cents trims about $4.62 from the fuel cost of a 500-mile haul. The index sits 68% above its five-year median for this calendar week, with all listed regions running between 64% and 70% above their respective five-year medians.
| Period | Cost per mile (6.5 mpg) | Fuel for a 500-mile haul | Week of |
|---|---|---|---|
| This week | 96.8 cents/mi | $484.00 | Nov 2, 2026 |
| A week ago | 97.7 cents/mi | $488.62 | Oct 26, 2026 |
| A month ago | 95.4 cents/mi | $476.85 | Oct 5, 2026 |
| A year ago | 57.7 cents/mi | $288.69 | Nov 3, 2025 |
| Fuel economy | Fuel cost per mile | Fuel for a 500-mile haul | Against the 6.5 mpg reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 mpg | 114.4 cents/mi | $572.00 | +17.6 cents/mi |
| 6.0 mpg | 104.9 cents/mi | $524.33 | +8.1 cents/mi |
| 6.5 mpg (the reference) | 96.8 cents/mi | $484.00 | reference |
| 7.0 mpg | 89.9 cents/mi | $449.43 | -6.9 cents/mi |
| 7.5 mpg | 83.9 cents/mi | $419.47 | -12.9 cents/mi |
| 8.0 mpg | 78.7 cents/mi | $393.25 | -18.1 cents/mi |
| Region | Diesel price | Fuel cost per mile (6.5 mpg) | Fuel for a 500-mile haul | Against the US average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $8.076/gal | 124.2 cents/mi | $621.23 | +27.4 cents/mi |
| West Coast (PADD 5) | $7.272/gal | 111.9 cents/mi | $559.38 | +15.1 cents/mi |
| West Coast except California (PADD 5) | $6.575/gal | 101.2 cents/mi | $505.77 | +4.4 cents/mi |
| Central Atlantic (PADD 1B) | $6.486/gal | 99.8 cents/mi | $498.92 | +3.0 cents/mi |
| Rocky Mountain (PADD 4) | $6.445/gal | 99.2 cents/mi | $495.77 | +2.4 cents/mi |
| New England (PADD 1A) | $6.416/gal | 98.7 cents/mi | $493.54 | +1.9 cents/mi |
| Midwest (PADD 2) | $6.402/gal | 98.5 cents/mi | $492.46 | +1.7 cents/mi |
| US average | $6.292/gal | 96.8 cents/mi | $484.00 | US average |
| East Coast (PADD 1) | $6.025/gal | 92.7 cents/mi | $463.46 | -4.1 cents/mi |
| Gulf Coast (PADD 3) | $5.912/gal | 91.0 cents/mi | $454.77 | -5.8 cents/mi |
| Lower Atlantic (PADD 1C) | $5.814/gal | 89.4 cents/mi | $447.23 | -7.4 cents/mi |
Previous weeks
Week of Oct 19, 2026
Fuel cost reached 96.6 cents a mile for the week of Oct 19, up from the prior week, adding about $7.46 to the cost of a 500-mile haul at the stated 6.5 mpg reference. Year over year, the index sits 73% above its level a year ago, when it was 55.7 cents a mile.
Week of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost came to 95.1 cents a mile for the week of Oct 12 at the stated 6.5 mpg reference. The week's move trims about $1.54 from a 500-mile haul. A month ago fuel was 96.7 cents a mile, and a year ago 56.4 cents a mile.
Week of Oct 5, 2026
Fuel for a 500-mile haul fell to $476.85 from $490.92 the week prior. At a stated 6.5 mpg reference, this week's cost is 95.4 cents a mile, up 67% from a year ago.
Week of Sep 28, 2026
Fuel stands at 98.2 cents a mile at the stated 6.5 mpg reference, about $490.92 for a 500-mile haul. This week trimmed about $11.31 from the fuel cost. A month ago the same haul was $430.69; a year ago, $288.77.
About Diesel fuel cost per mile
Every figure on this page uses a stated reference efficiency of 6.5 miles per gallon, a plain mid-fleet figure for a loaded Class 8 truck. It is a fixed reference for comparing weeks, not an estimate of any particular truck; a rig running 7.5 mpg spends about 13% less per mile than the reference, one at 5.5 mpg about 18% more. The 500-mile haul line is the same math over one round figure of distance: about 77 gallons burned.
What one mile per gallon is worth this week
At $6.292 a gallon (week of Nov 2, 2026), a truck getting 6.0 mpg spends 104.9 cents a mile on fuel and one getting 7.0 mpg spends 89.9 cents, a gap of 15.0 cents a mile. That is $74.90 on a 500-mile haul and about $15,000 over 100,000 miles ($104,900 of fuel against $89,900). A year earlier, at $3.753 (week of Nov 3, 2025), the same one-mile-per-gallon gap was worth about $9,000 over 100,000 miles. The table above runs the same price from 5.5 to 8.0 mpg.
Where a mile of diesel costs the most
For the week of Nov 2, 2026, California had the highest fuel cost per mile of the 10 regional breakouts EIA publishes, 124.2 cents at $8.076 a gallon, and Lower Atlantic (PADD 1C) the lowest, 89.4 cents at $5.814. At the same 6.5 mpg reference that is $174.00 of fuel on a 500-mile haul, before the truck itself makes any difference. The breakouts overlap: the East Coast figure contains its three subregions and the West Coast figure contains California. Each region's page charts its price against the US average.
What the figure leaves out
This is fuel only. The American Transportation Research Institute's 2026 update of its operational costs study (published July 2026) put the average cost of running a truck in 2025 at $2.336 a mile, $1.854 of it excluding fuel, so fuel came to about 48.2 cents a mile, roughly a fifth of the total. That was a year when the DOE number averaged $3.660 a gallon; this week's $6.292 is $2.632 a gallon above that average.
Fuel also burns on empty miles, which earn nothing; ATRI's 2026 update found deadhead mileage still elevated. If 15 of every 100 miles run empty, fuel per paid mile is the per-mile figure divided by 0.85: 113.9 cents at this week's 6.5 mpg figure instead of 96.8. The arithmetic behind every number on this page is laid out step by step in Cost per mile: fuel math for an owner-operator.
The underlying price is EIA's Monday on-highway diesel release, the same index on the DOE number page. This page only restates it in the unit an operator actually plans in.
Common questions
What is the fuel cost per mile for a semi truck?
At the stated 6.5 mpg reference, 96.8 cents a mile for the week of Nov 2, 2026, from EIA's on-highway diesel price of $6.292 a gallon. A truck at 6.0 mpg spends about 104.9 cents and one at 7.0 mpg about 89.9 cents. That is fuel only, not the all-in cost of running the truck.
How much does one mile per gallon change fuel cost per mile?
At $6.292 diesel (week of Nov 2, 2026), going from 6.0 to 7.0 mpg cuts fuel cost by 15.0 cents a mile, $74.90 on a 500-mile haul and about $15,000 over 100,000 miles.
Which region has the highest diesel fuel cost per mile?
For the week of Nov 2, 2026, California, at 124.2 cents a mile ($8.076 a gallon at the 6.5 mpg reference). Lower Atlantic (PADD 1C) was the lowest at 89.4 cents ($5.814), against 96.8 cents for the US average.
Is fuel cost per mile the same as the cost per mile to run a truck?
No. Fuel is one line. ATRI's 2026 operational costs update put the 2025 average at $2.336 a mile all in and $1.854 excluding fuel, so fuel was about 48.2 cents, roughly a fifth. Driver wages and benefits, truck and trailer payments, repair and maintenance, insurance, tires, and tolls make up the rest.