Record-Setting Diesel Prices Put Pressure On Bay Area Businesses and Consumers
A diesel fuel pump displays a price of more than $8 per gallon at a truck stop in the Wilmington neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on September 22, 2026. On September 22, US President Donald Trump expressed support for a diesel export ban, with fuel prices having surged on the back of the Middle East war. (Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images)
Airdate: Monday, September 28, 2026 at 9 am
Diesel prices are now well above $8 a gallon in California – higher than they’ve ever been and 63 percent more than a year ago. While most consumers don’t purchase diesel, most of the goods we buy rely on it for transportation. Diesel powers tractors that work farms, trucks that transport the food to a manufacturing facility and trains that distribute products across the country. The steep rise in diesel prices is already putting pressure on businesses and the economy as a whole. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is talking about banning diesel exports as a way to increase domestic supply and lower prices. We’ll talk about why diesel prices have skyrocketed, how that will affect consumers and what could happen next.
Guest:
- Severin Borenstein, Professor at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and a faculty director of The Energy Institute at Haas; member, Board of Governors of the California Independent System Operator
- Kyle Cameron, president, Cameron and Co. Trucking, Inc.
- Shaun Crook, co-owner and vice president, Crook Logging Inc. – He also serves as first vice president for the California Farm Bureau Federation.
- John Coletta, CEO, Clover Sonoma – a maker of dairy products.