US Diesel prices surpass $5.38

(truckingdive.com)

26 points | by Betelbuddy 15 hours ago ago

21 comments

  • perilunar 6 hours ago ago

    That's US$1.42 per litre for those who don't do gallons.

    (still cheap — it's more than double that where I am)

    • bdangubic 6 hours ago ago

      yea but we have a $1 trillion dollars defense budget which is supposed to defend against high diesel prices :)

      • perilunar 5 hours ago ago

        The US defence/war budget could be paid entirely out of gasoline and diesel taxes:

        $962 billion / 186 billion gallons = $5.17 per gallon ($1.37 per L)

        which would double the price, but still pretty cheap

        If we were to price in all the externalities of fossil fuels into the retail price it would be a lot more expensive. It's still way too cheap.

      • pseudohadamard 3 hours ago ago

        Or, in this case, cause high diesel prices. It's a... I guess that'd make it a lose/lose, wouldn't it?

  • Tzk 14 hours ago ago

    We’re at 2.30€ in Germany (per liter!) right now. So $5.40 per gallon doesn’t sound too bad to me.

    I’m aware that the diesel price in the us always has been quite low in contrast to Europe, but still I don’t see the issue.

    • Betelbuddy 14 hours ago ago

      Its about the structure of input costs into the US economy.

      Same way restaurant employees in Germany have a salary, but 80% of US restaurants would close immediately, if their "associates" would not have to survive on tips...

    • whateveracct 14 hours ago ago

      The US has swathes of relatively empty land trucks have to traverse for shipping that dwarf the entire nation of Germany.

    • 13 hours ago ago
      [deleted]
    • garciasn 14 hours ago ago

      We don't have mass transit to offset the need to drive our vehicles; nor is there much interest in making it happen.

      • epolanski 14 hours ago ago

        Diesel primarily impacts logistics though, not nearly as much personal transport.

        You can cope paying 50$ month per month in diesel if you drive that much.

        But at the scale of logistics companies, often tied to fixed pricing it's a tragedy.

        • blyry 13 hours ago ago

          ~Construction and agriculture also run on diesel~ (edit..OPs comment was germane to the thread, and correct, logistics by large the majority of diesel usage on this report).

          https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_cons_821dst_dcu_nus_a.htm

        • bigfatkitten 10 hours ago ago

          The spikes in fuel costs are enough now to eat the entire profit for a trip, and then some.

        • asyx 13 hours ago ago

          Petrol is just s as expensive though

      • jdlshore 12 hours ago ago

        Check your info bubble. The US has a superb freight rail system that transports massive amounts of goods. If you’re talking about diesel fuel, you’re talking about freight, and we absolutely do have mass transit for freight… one of the best in the world.

        • 6 hours ago ago
          [deleted]
      • bdangubic 12 hours ago ago

        1.7 trillion ton-miles of freight per year is as massive as it gets…

        • abdusco 3 hours ago ago

          What's that in football fields?

        • pseudohadamard 3 hours ago ago

          It would be if I had the faintest idea what a ton-mile is. Is it like a firkin-furlong?

    • hjouneau 13 hours ago ago

      There is almost three times more taxes on gas in Germany than in US

    • p0w3n3d 13 hours ago ago

      Please be minded that US people tend to tell prices without tax, because it differs from state to state. So it's I think even more... maybe even $6.20...

      • jfengel 12 hours ago ago

        Gas prices include all the tax. Unlike many other goods, there isn't an additional sales tax on top of the reported price.