AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report for Friday, 3/26/21

When the price of diesel goes up, the cost of everything else follows. Peak travel season is upon us and gasoline prices continue to soar. Americans are rightfully concerned as the cost of filling up their tank keeps going up at the pump. And while most may not pay as much thought to the price of diesel, the reality is that number weighs even heavier on their pocketbooks. Virtually every good you can think of travels by truck before it’s in your reach. And today’s trucks, by and large, run on diesel. The price of diesel is baked into the price of everything else, gasoline included. Right now, motor carriers are getting slammed by nightmarish surges in the price of diesel. It’s especially hard on smaller fleets, which don’t operate at a scale to negotiate rates down or lock prices into a contract. These small businesses account for 97% of trucking companies in the U.S., running 20 trucks or fewer.

Futures climbed as much as 1.7 percent in New York, paring Wednesday’s 4.1 percent loss. Crude and gasoline inventories both dropped by more than by 5.5 million barrels last week, the American Petroleum Institute was said to report. Government data Thursday is also forecast to show supplies fell. Oil remains in a bear market amid concerns that rising supply from Libya to the U.S. will counter production cuts from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its partners including Russia. American crude stockpiles are more than 100 million barrels above the five-year average. Click Read More below for additional detail.

UPS announced first-quarter 2025 consolidated revenues of $21.5 billion, a 0.7% decrease from the first quarter of 2024. Consolidated operating profit was $1.7 billion, up 3.3% compared to the first quarter of 2024, and up 0.9% on a non-GAAP adjusted basis. Diluted earnings per share were $1.40 for the quarter; non-GAAP adjusted diluted earnings per share were $1.49, 4.2% above the same period in 2024. “I want to thank all UPSers for their hard work and efforts in this very dynamic environment,” said Carol Tomé, UPS chief executive officer. “As a trusted leader in global logistics, we will leverage our integrated network and trade expertise to assist our customers as they adapt to a changing trade environment. Further, the actions we are taking to reconfigure our network and reduce cost across our business could not be timelier. The macro environment may be uncertain, but with our actions, we will emerge as an even stronger, more nimble UPS.”