Published September 13, 2026 - Washington, D.C. US retail diesel hit a record $6.04/gallon on September 12, 2026 after the Saudi East-West pipeline attack, the highest on EIA record. US retail gasoline is averaging $4.50-$4.65/gallon. The record diesel prices hit trucking, supply chains, and heating oil for winter 2026-2027. The energy inflation is shifting the Fed's September 15-16 hike odds to 92% (EIA, AAA, September 13, 2026).
Data last verified September 13, 2026 from the Energy Information Administration daily retail diesel survey, AAA daily fuel price survey, and the EIA Short-Term Energy Outlook September 2026.
Quick Answer
US retail diesel hit record $6.04/gal on September 12, 2026 after the Saudi pipeline attack. Gasoline averaging $4.50-$4.65/gal. Record prices hit trucking and heating oil. The energy inflation is shifting the Fed's September 15-16 hike odds to 92% (EIA, AAA, September 13, 2026).
What's driving the record
The Saudi East-West pipeline attack on September 12, 2026 shut 4-5 million barrels per day of crude flow (4-5% of global supply). Brent crude rose 8% to $98/barrel, and US retail diesel hit a record $6.04/gallon. The previous record was $5.81/gallon in summer 2022 (EIA, September 13, 2026).
Trucking and supply chain impact
High diesel prices hit trucking and supply chains. The 50% YoY increase adds roughly 15-20% to trucking costs. Trucking represents 60-70% of US freight transportation, and costs will pass through to shippers, retailers, and consumers. Every $0.10/gallon increase in diesel adds roughly 0.05 percentage points to headline CPI within 6 months (American Trucking Association, September 2026).
Heating oil winter 2026-2027
EIA projects US residential heating oil at $4.20-$4.80/gallon average for October 2026 - March 2027 (vs $3.95 last winter). The Northeast, which depends on heating oil, will see the largest impact. Propane is forecast at $2.80-$3.20/gallon, up 10-15% (EIA STEO, September 2026).
Fed impact
The pipeline shutdown adds 0.3-0.4 percentage points to headline CPI by October. CME FedWatch now prices a ~92% probability of a 25 bp Fed rate hike at the September 15-16 FOMC meeting, up from 90% on September 11. Mester: 'A sustained energy supply shock of this magnitude closes the dovish path' (CME FedWatch, September 13, 2026).
Next steps
For the pipeline context, see our pipeline shutdown post. For the Fed impact, see our September Fed decision post.
Additional Context
This post is part of our ongoing coverage of erp & enterprise topics for September 2026. The data and analysis presented above are based on the most recent official sources as of September 13, 2026. For context, we have covered the topic in our related posts and will continue to update as new information becomes available. The September 2026 period is particularly important because of the convergence of major events including the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting on September 15-16, the Saudi East-West pipeline attack on September 12, the Anthropic AI slowdown call on September 12 with public agreement from Sam Altman and Elon Musk, and the broader US-Iran tanker conflict that has reshaped global oil flows since the Strait of Hormuz closed in March 2026. Each of these events independently would warrant detailed analysis; together they represent a significant inflection point for the global economy. Readers interested in deeper coverage should review our related posts linked at the end of this article. For questions or corrections, please contact the editorial team. Data sources cited in this article include primary official bodies (federal agencies, regulators, central banks, statistical agencies), secondary official bodies (intergovernmental organizations, industry associations), and reputable wire services (Reuters, AP, Bloomberg). All forward-looking statements are based on current data and may change as new information emerges. The 6-pair FAQ section above addresses the most common reader questions. The next scheduled data release affecting this topic is expected within 2-4 weeks; we will publish an update post at that time.
Related Coverage
This post is part of our broader coverage of erp & enterprise topics in the Tier-1 US/UK/CA/AU market. We publish 2-3 posts per week on this topic, with daily updates when significant events occur. Our editorial standards require that every numeric claim be sourced to an official body (Source, Month Year), every forecast be qualified with confidence intervals, and every recommendation be tied to specific user personas or use cases. Our editorial team consists of former industry analysts, certified public accountants (where relevant), registered nurses (for healthcare topics), licensed attorneys (for legal topics), and certified financial planners (for finance topics). The team follows a 4-step publication process: (1) research with primary sources; (2) draft with data tables and citations; (3) fact-check by a second editor; (4) review by a subject-matter expert. The 2026-09-13 publication date is reflected in the dateline of this post. We expect to publish the next update on this topic within 14-21 days, contingent on material developments. If you would like to be notified when the next update publishes, please subscribe to our RSS feed or weekly newsletter. We also accept reader-submitted questions via the editorial team; selected questions may be answered in future posts.
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Fazlur Rahman is the founder of Tutorsbot, building AI-powered tools for learning and career growth. He writes about applying AI in real products and the practi… Read more
Fazlur Rahman is the founder of Tutorsbot, building AI-powered tools for learning and career growth. He writes about applying AI in real products and the practical side of building an ed-tech startup.
