Fuel Pricing Update — November 2026: Where Joyner Still Stands
When we published our fuel cost article in September, we made specific commitments to our customers about how rising fuel costs would — and would not — affect their rates. We want to follow through on the transparency we promised with this update: here is where diesel prices stand now, and here is where Joyner still stands.
The short version: our commitments are unchanged. The industry cost environment, however, has not improved.
According to EIA weekly on-highway diesel data, the national average price of diesel as of November 2, 2026 is $6.29 per gallon. That figure is part of a sustained period of elevated pricing that has made 2026 the most expensive year for diesel on record — the year-to-date average of $5.15 per gallon is $1.49 above the full-year 2025 average.
Prices reached a 2026 high of $6.53 per gallon in late September — the same period we published our original article — before easing slightly in early October. They climbed again through late October, peaking at $6.35 on October 26, before the most recent reading showed a modest $0.06 decline. There is no meaningful relief visible in the near-term data.
Our Position by Service Type — Unchanged
As we stated in September, how fuel costs affect your rates depends on the type of service you use with us. Here is where each service type stands today:
Customers in these programs are on locked rate structures. Fuel cost increases do not pass through to them — period. This has not changed and will not change for the duration of their current agreement.
If you have a freight contract with Joyner, your contracted rate is what you pay. We are absorbing the gap between those rates and current fuel costs internally. We made this commitment in September and we are holding to it.
Rates for non-contracted freight reflect current market and fuel conditions. At $6.29 per gallon nationally, spot pricing remains elevated. This is the segment where moving to a contract provides the most direct protection — your rate gets locked regardless of where diesel goes from here.
What We Are Watching
Diesel prices in 2026 have not followed any predictable seasonal pattern. The usual late-summer softening that many carriers planned around did not materialize in a meaningful way, and the fourth quarter historically brings its own demand pressures from holiday freight volume. We are not forecasting lower prices in the near term.
What we can control is our own approach — and that approach has not changed. We will continue to publish updates when there is meaningful news to share, and we will not adjust rates on locked customers regardless of what the market does.
If you have questions about where your specific shipments or service agreements fall under this framework, our team is available to walk through it with you.
Questions About Your Rates?
Our team can walk you through how current fuel pricing affects your specific service type and what options are available to you.
Contact Us at help@myjoyner.com