Trucking

Diesel Shortage Prompts Industry Push for Export Controls

A trucking industry organization is urging Congress to restrict diesel exports as U.S. inventories plunge below historical norms. East Coast fuel stocks have hit record lows, rattling carriers already grappling with elevated diesel costs.

The Trump administration temporarily authorized the use of dyed diesel—typically reserved for agricultural and construction equipment—on highways as a stopgap measure. Energy producers expect fuel prices to remain elevated, straining logistics operators whose contracts locked in lower rates before the supply crunch.

To ease pressure, the Group of Seven agreed to release substantial diesel reserves. However, European nations expressed reluctance about the arrangement. Trucking executives warn that inventory depletion is compounding margin pressures on freight contracts signed before the current price environment took hold.