Diesel Prices in the East Coast: Weekly Trucking Fuel Cost and Surcharge (2026)
Diesel in the East Coast averaged $6.158 a gallon for the week of 14 September 2026, according to the Energy Information Administration's weekly survey of on-highway diesel prices. That is up 41.4 cents on the week, up $2.410 on a year earlier, and 12.7 cents below the U.S. average of $6.285.
By Small Fleet HQ | Updated
Diesel prices in the East Coast, week of 14 September 2026
Prices are for the week of .
The figure is EIA's PADD 1 series, a volume-weighted average of cash self-serve prices with taxes included. It covers Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia.
| Measure | East Coast | U.S. average |
|---|---|---|
| This week | $6.158 | $6.285 |
| Change on the week | up 41.4 cents | up 31.8 cents |
| Change over four weeks | up 81.8 cents | up 83.1 cents |
| Same week a year earlier | $3.748 | $3.739 |
| 52-week high | $6.158, 14 September 2026 | $6.285, 14 September 2026 |
| 52-week low | $3.613, 12 January 2026 | $3.459, 12 January 2026 |
The East Coast is the seventh most expensive of EIA's ten regions this week. Over the last 52 weeks it averaged 1.5 cents above the U.S. average. This week is the highest price in the series, which starts on 21 March 1994.
The trend in the East Coast over two years
The chart shows the East Coast against the U.S. average for the last 104 weeks. Move a pointer across it, or focus it and use the arrow keys, to read any week.
Fuel surcharge in the East Coast
The calculator starts from the East Coast's price this week. Swap in the series your contract names, then enter its base price and miles per gallon.
Enter your contract terms
How it adds up
The starting base price of $1.25 is an example, and 7.28 miles a gallon is the average ATBS reported for its owner-operator clients in 2025. On a 500-mile load, the regional and national prices give different answers:
| Contract reads | Price | Surcharge a mile | On 500 miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Coast price | $6.158 | $0.674 | $337.00 |
| U.S. average | $6.285 | $0.692 | $346.00 |
This week a surcharge on the U.S. average pays $9.00 more on that load than one on the East Coast's price. The truck burns about 68.7 gallons either way, roughly $423.05 at the East Coast's average pump price.
Diesel price before taxes in the East Coast
Every price above includes the federal diesel tax of $0.244 a gallon and state taxes. The table takes both off the East Coast's price for each state it covers, using the diesel columns of EIA's July 2026 (revised) tax table.
| State | State diesel tax | Taxes and fees in total | Price before taxes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | $0.499 | $0.499 | $5.415 |
| Delaware | $0.220 | $0.220 | $5.694 |
| District of Columbia | $0.235 | $0.357 | $5.557 |
| Florida | $0.220 | $0.410 | $5.504 |
| Georgia | $0.373 | $0.381 | $5.534 |
| Maine | $0.312 | $0.320 | $5.594 |
| Maryland | $0.242 | $0.477 | $5.437 |
| Massachusetts | $0.240 | $0.276 | $5.638 |
| New Hampshire | $0.222 | $0.237 | $5.677 |
| New Jersey | $0.135 | $0.561 | $5.353 |
| New York | $0.080 | $0.224 | $5.690 |
| North Carolina | $0.410 | $0.412 | $5.502 |
| Pennsylvania | $0.741 | $0.741 | $5.173 |
| Rhode Island | $0.400 | $0.411 | $5.503 |
| South Carolina | $0.280 | $0.287 | $5.627 |
| Vermont | $0.280 | $0.330 | $5.584 |
| Virginia | $0.336 | $0.435 | $5.479 |
| West Virginia | $0.205 | $0.357 | $5.557 |
Delaware has the lowest state diesel taxes in the region at $0.220 and Pennsylvania the highest at $0.741, a spread of 52.1 cents a gallon that carries straight into the price before taxes.
What EIA counts in each state's taxes and fees
- Connecticut. Petroleum Products Gross Earnings tax (PGET): 8.1% of gross earnings in each taxable quarter derived from the first sale of petroleum products. PGET does not apply to products to be used as heating fuels or bunker fuels.
- Delaware. Hazardous Substance Cleanup Act (HSCA): 1.1902% tax on gross receipts from the sale of petroleum or petroleum products, and the adjustable rates cannot be lower than 0.675% or higher than 1.675%.
- District of Columbia. Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax Surcharge/Local Transportation Surcharge: $0.1220/gal as of 10/1/25.
- Florida. For 2026, the gasoline and diesel state taxes are the excise and sales taxes added together. Other fees and pollutant taxes: Ninth-Cent fee (diesel only) $0.01/gal; Petroleum Inspection fee (gasoline, kerosene and No. 1 fuel oil only) $0.00125/gal; Local Option fee $0.06/gal; State Comprehensive Enhanced Transportation System Tax (SCETS) $0.099/gal; Coastal Protection tax $0.00048/gal; Inland Protection tax $0.01904/gal; Water Quality tax $0.00119. The listed gasoline rate does not include additional local option taxes above the statewide minimum of $0.06/gal.
- Georgia. Georgia Underground Storage Tank (GUST) fee on petro products: $0.0075/gal. The average retail price used for the Prepaid Local Tax (TSPLOST) changed as of 1/1/16; for more information, see https://dor.georgia.gov/motor-fuel-rates.
- Maine. Maine Coastal and Inland Surface Oil Clean-up Fund fee (no longer in effect after July 3, 2015): $0.0300/bbl ($0.0007/gal) for all crude oil and refined oil, including #6 fuel oil, #2 fuel oil, kerosene, gasoline, jet fuel, diesel fuel and liquid asphalt. Ground Water Oil Clean-up Fund fees: $0.6100/bbl ($0.01452/gal) of gasoline; $0.3200/bbl ($0.007619/gal) of refined petroleum products and their by-products (other than gasoline and #6 fuel oil), including #2 fuel oil, kerosene, jet fuel and diesel fuel; and $0.0400/bbl of #6 fuel oil. Petroleum Marketing Fund Fee: $0.4000 per 10,000 gallons of home heating oil and motor fuel oil.
- Maryland. CPI component $0.1040/gal ($0.1050 for diesel) as of 7/1/26, Sales and Use Tax Equivalent rate (SUTE) component $0.1270/gal as of 7/1/26. Oil transfer Fee: $0.0900/bbl ($0.0021/gal) of oil transferred into the State.
- Massachusetts. Underground Storage Tank Petroleum Product Cleanup Fund Delivery fee: $343.93 per 10k load ($0.034393/gal). Underground Storage Tank fee: $250 per year, per tank. Uniform Oil Response + Prevention fee: $0.0500/barrel ($0.0012/gal), all products.
- New Hampshire. Oil Discharge and Disposal Cleanup Fund fee: $0.01331/gal on gasoline and diesel fuels, excluding heating fuels. Oil Pollution Control Fund fee: $0.00215/gal on all petroleum products except LPG and natural gas.
- New Jersey. Petroleum Products Gross Receipts Tax - requires quarterly adjustment. As of 6/30/26: $0.3860/gal for gasoline, $0.4260/gal for diesel fuel. Spill Compensation and Control Act: $0.0230/bbl ($0.0005/gal) on all petroleum products.
- New York. Petroleum Business Tax (13-A) - requires annual adjustment (January 1, 2025: gasoline $0.1580/gal, diesel $0.1405/gal). Petroleum Testing Fee (gasoline): $0.0005/gal. Additional sales taxes apply: State Sales Tax: $0.0800/gal ($0.0875/gal in the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District (MCTD)); local sales taxes also apply (some counties levy this in a cents-per-gallon manner). Prepaid Sales Tax rates (see Publication 790, "Chart for Prepayment of Sales Tax on Motor Fuels'): $0.1800/gal, $0.1800/gal, $0.1700/gal for Regions 1, 2, 3, respectively. Oil Spill Prevention, Control, and Compensation License fee: $0.0950/bbl plus a surcharge of $0.0425/bbl, all petroleum products ($0.003274/gal).
- North Carolina. Gasoline and Oil Inspection fee: $0.0025/gal on all motor fuels.
- Pennsylvania. A variable rate is calculated annually and replaced the OCS and Liquid Fuels Tax (see PA Bulletin for updated rate info). Underground Storage Tank (UST) Fund fee (applies only to gasoline and diesel fuel into tanks at farms: $0.0110/gal. Most diesel fuel subject to the tank Capacity fee: $0.0825/gal of UST capacity, paid annually. See PA Insurance Dept, Bureau of Special Funds, USTIF for UST fees.
- Rhode Island. Environmental Protection Regulatory fee (EPRF): $0.0100/gal. Uniform Oil Response and Prevention (UORF) fee: $0.0500/bbl ($0.0012/gal).
- South Carolina. Inspection Fee: $0.0025/gal; Environmental Impact Fee: $0.0050/gal.
- Vermont. Petroleum Distributor Licensing Fee: $0.0100/gal. Motor Fuel Transportation Infrastructure Assessment (MFTIA) fee: gasoline $0.0476/gal; diesel $0.0300/gal. Motor Fuel Tax Assessment (MFTA) applies to gasoline only: $0.1340/gal. Clean up fee applies to diesel only: $0.0100/gal.
- Virginia. Storage tank fee: $0.0020/gal. The Motor Vehicle Fuels Sales Tax (MVFST) (aka, Wholesale Sales Tax (WH)) rates: gasoline $0.0960/gal, diesel $0.0970/gal.
- West Virginia. Excise tax $0.2050/gal, Consumers Sales and Service Tax: $0.1520/gal.
Those state taxes are what your IFTA return settles, by the miles you run in each state. To set the East Coast beside every other region, see diesel prices by region.
Why there is no single-state price here
EIA publishes weekly diesel averages for the country, its regions and California, and no other state. A truck fueling anywhere in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia or West Virginia is inside this regional figure. EIA also splits the East Coast into New England, the Central Atlantic and the Lower Atlantic, each with its own series.
- Diesel Prices in New England: Weekly Trucking Fuel Cost and Surcharge (2026)
- Diesel Prices in the Central Atlantic: Weekly Trucking Fuel Cost and Surcharge (2026)
- Diesel Prices in the Lower Atlantic: Weekly Trucking Fuel Cost and Surcharge (2026)
Method: how each number was obtained
- The weekly prices are EIA's PADD 1 on-highway diesel series, all types, in dollars a gallon, read from EIA's history table each day so that revisions carry over.
- EIA collects the cash self-serve price, taxes included, as of 8:00 a.m. local time each Monday.
- Federal and state diesel taxes and fees come from EIA's federal and state motor fuels tax table.
- Changes, highs and lows, gaps to the U.S. average, rank, surcharge figures and prices before taxes are our arithmetic on those figures.
The page updates only when EIA's figures change. Pages across the site follow our rating methodology.
What we could not verify
- County and local fuel taxes, and state taxes on gross or net receipts, which EIA's tax table leaves out.
- The price at any single truck stop in the East Coast, which can sit well away from the regional average.
- The base price and fuel economy in your own surcharge program.
Sample, window and limitations
The East Coast series starts on 21 March 1994. EIA changed its survey sample on 13 June 2022 and says prices from that week on are not directly comparable with earlier weeks. The chart shows two years and the table one. The prices before taxes use this week's regional price with each state's taxes, so each is an estimate: EIA measured no price for the state itself.
How to cite this
Small Fleet HQ, "Diesel Prices in the East Coast: Weekly Trucking Fuel Cost and Surcharge (2026)", updated September 16, 2026, https://smallfleethq.com/fuel-cards/diesel/east-coast. Price data: U.S. Energy Information Administration, weekly retail on-highway diesel prices, PADD 1, week of 14 September 2026.
Frequently asked questions
EIA's average retail on-highway diesel price for the East Coast was $6.158 a gallon for the week of 14 September 2026, up 41.4 cents on the week before and below the U.S. average by 12.7 cents.
EIA's the East Coast figure covers Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia.
It depends on your contract. With the East Coast's price of $6.158, a $1.250 base price and 7.28 miles a gallon, the surcharge comes to $0.674 a mile. A contract that reads the U.S. average uses $6.285 instead, so check which series yours names.
The East Coast's state diesel taxes and fees run from $0.220 a gallon in Delaware to $0.741 in Pennsylvania in EIA's latest table, on top of the $0.244 federal tax.
Sources & References (6)
U.S. Energy Information Administration, Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update, weekly retail on-highway diesel prices
eia.gov ↗U.S. Energy Information Administration, Weekly Retail Gasoline and Diesel Prices, history tables by region
eia.gov ↗U.S. Energy Information Administration, On-Highway Diesel Fuel Price Survey methodology
eia.gov ↗U.S. Energy Information Administration, definitions for retail gasoline and diesel prices, including the PADD regions
eia.gov ↗U.S. Energy Information Administration, Federal and state motor fuels taxes, July 2026 (revised) edition
eia.gov ↗Todd Dills, "Owner-op income up, with 'capacity-driven' trucking recovery ongoing, fuel-cost wildcard", Overdrive, 26 March 2026 (ATBS 2025 fuel economy)
overdriveonline.com ↗