The U.S. Energy Information Administration released its weekly retail fuel data on April 21. National average diesel came in at $5.403 per gallon for the week ending April 20, according to the EIA via FRED (Source: EIA, April 21, 2026). That is a meaningful move down from the April peak the EIA had forecast above $5.80 per gallon in its April 7 Short-Term Energy Outlook. For context, the national average was $5.683 per gallon the week of April 7 and $3.582 per gallon a year ago, per AAA fuel price data.
The EIA’s April STEO, released April 7, projects diesel averaging around $5.61 per gallon for Q2 before falling to approximately $5.00 in Q3 and $4.59 in Q4, assuming global supply conditions normalize over the coming months. That forecast was completed before some recent developments in global oil markets that have since pushed prices modestly lower than the peak projection, which is consistent with the April 21 reading.
“Diesel prices peak at more than $5.80 per gallon in April and average $4.80 per gallon this year and $4.11 per gallon in 2027, both up from $3.66 in 2025.”
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Short-Term Energy Outlook, April 7, 2026 · eia.gov/outlooks/steo
The practical implication for Texas contractors managing Q2 delivery budgets is straightforward. Prices are still 51% above where they were a year ago and remain elevated by any historical standard. But the direction has shifted from climbing to easing. Delivery quotes issued in mid-April at peak pricing may now be slightly more favorable than quotes issued today, and the trajectory suggests further easing through Q2 and into Q3. Contractors who have been waiting for prices to come down before committing to delivery schedules are now operating in a different market than they were three weeks ago.
Fuel surcharge tables in hauling agreements typically lag spot price changes by one to three weeks. That means the full benefit of the April easing may not show up in quoted delivery prices immediately. Getting a current quote now captures the direction of the market rather than the peak.
The EIA’s May STEO releases May 12 and will provide the next data point on whether the Q3 easing forecast is holding. Contractors building Q3 project budgets should treat the current trajectory as directionally favorable but not confirmed until that next release.
Diesel appears to have peaked in April. Getting a current delivery quote now means pricing based on where the market is heading, not where it was three weeks ago.