DOE Diesel Off 6.0 Cents to $6.292, Crude Benchmarks Diverge

The EIA weekly on-highway diesel survey puts the DOE number at $6.292/gal for the week of November 2, down 6.0 cents from the prior week. At the stated 6.5 mpg reference that is 96.8 cents a mile of fuel cost. The week's move trims about $4.62 from the fuel cost of a 500-mile haul.

• Crude benchmarks split this week: Brent (Europe spot, EIA daily) rose 7% week over week to $123.10/bbl while WTI (Cushing spot, EIA daily) fell 4% week over week to $103.37/bbl, both as of October 27.
• The West Coast (PADD 5) at $7.272/gal sits 136.0 cents/gal over the Gulf Coast (PADD 3) at $5.912/gal, the survey's widest structural spread.
• California on-highway diesel at $8.076/gal edged down 1% on the week and remains 64% above its five-year median.
• The Midwest (PADD 2) at $6.402/gal, the Rocky Mountain region (PADD 4) at $6.445/gal and the Central Atlantic (PADD 1B) at $6.486/gal each moved between flat and down 1% week over week.
• The US index remains 68% above its five-year median for this calendar week, with every region in this week's data running between 64% and 70% above its respective five-year median.

Gulf Coast ULSD spot (EIA daily, untaxed bulk wholesale) sat at $4.767/gal and New York Harbor ULSD at $4.687/gal as of October 27, both well below the November 2 retail figures across all regions. The hub-to-pump gap carries fuel taxes and the full distribution and retail layer. EIA's November 3 Today in Energy (Sean Hill) reported global crude oil refinery inputs fell 4.8 million barrels per day in the second quarter of 2026, recovering only 1.8 million b/d in the third quarter, with the steepest declines among refiners most affected by Strait of Hormuz supply disruptions. Winter-blend season is underway and heating oil demand in the Northeast competes with diesel on the same distillate barrel.

Data note: ULSD spot and crude benchmark figures carry a 2026-10-27 date, several business days before the November 2 retail survey.