Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026:
- Diesel keeps going up. Rates doing the same as offset?
- Revoked ELD reinstated.
- Heavy-haul-specific load board gets route-planning improvement.
- Tesla’s Semi charger network set to expand.
Diesel prices surge as rates remain strong
After falling to a six-month low point during the second week of the year, diesel prices have been on a steady rise, jumping 35 cents over the last six weeks, according to Energy Information Administration data.
During the most recent week ending Feb. 23, the national average for a gallon of on-highway diesel increased 9.8 cents to $3.81 -- the highest national average since the week ending Nov. 24, 2025.
Rising fuel prices have been coupled with strong spot rates of late, good news given the cost surge. Despite a recent steadying from a winter-weather-driven spike earlier this year, spot rates have remained strong compared to recent years.
Data from Truckstop.com and FTR Transportation Intelligence for the week ended Feb. 20 saw spot rates decline for both dry van and refrigerated van equipment, but rates in both cases remain quite strong compared with comparable weeks in 2023-2025. Flatbed spot rates have risen in 13 of the past 14 weeks and are now at their strongest level since the spring of 2022.FTR and Truckstop.com
In most years, van equipment rates would still be normalizing (that is, falling) after holiday spikes, so the decreases since the big winter weather impact in late January are in line with seasonal expectations. Decline typically starts to taper off in late February, and the latest winter storm in the northeastern U.S. could provide additional near-term support for dry van and refrigerated rates this week and into March, FTR and Truckstop.com reported.
[Related: 'Great news for spot rates'? Supreme Court rules against Trump tariffs]
Total load postings increased only modestly last week, but they reached a milestone -- the highest level since July 2022. Coupled with a slight decrease in truck postings, the volume gain produced a Market Demand Index of 145.0, the second-highest level since March 2022.
With fuel prices, all regions of the U.S. except New England saw prices rise during the most recent week, led by a 13.4-cent increase in the Midwest.
The nation’s most expensive diesel is in California at $4.94/gallon, while the cheapest diesel is in the Gulf Coast region at $3.49/gallon.
Prices in other regions, according to EIA:
- New England -- $4.20
- Central Atlantic -- $4.10
- Lower Atlantic -- $3.71
- Midwest -- $3.80
- Rocky Mountain -- $3.68
- West Coast less California -- $4.05
ProMiles’ diesel averages during the same week jump by 3.4 cents to $3.67/gallon nationwide. According to the ProMiles Fuel Surcharge Index, the most expensive diesel can be found in California at $5.01/gallon, the cheapest in the Gulf Coast region at $3.33/gallon.
[Related: Finding the cheapeast fuel about much more than pump price]
Forward Thinking BYOD ELD reinstated by FMCSA
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Wednesday reinstated an electronic logging device from the Forward Thinking Systems company that had its self-certification revoked at the end of 2025.
Forward Thinking Systems had two devices revoked on Dec. 30 -- its Field Warrior ELD (BYOD) and Field Warrior ELD (Garmin).
On Wednesday, FMCSA reinstated the BYOD version of the ELD. Motor carriers and drivers can now use the device to record hours-of-service.
[Related: FMCSA revokes certification of four ELDs from three companies]
Truckstop.com enhances heavy-haul board with route-specific costs
Truckstop.com and ProMiles announced an expanded partnership to power route-based quoting inside the Truckstop Heavy-Haul Load Board.
The enhancement connects real freight opportunities with real route and permit data, giving carriers a clearer way to price oversize and overweight loads before they commit, the companies said.
With heavy-haul freight, pricing a load often requires multiple systems and time-intensive workflows. Route restrictions change by state. Permit costs shift based on axle count, dimensions, and weight. Escorts, pilot cars, and route surveys add expense. One missed detail can turn a strong rate into a loss.
[Related: High-dollar freight means high cost consideration: Heavy and oversize hauling]
The Truckstop Heavy-Haul Load Board now integrates ProMiles route intelligence directly into the quoting process. As carriers evaluate available freight, the system applies jurisdiction-specific permit rules and calculates multi-state permitting costs based on the actual route the load would take.
“Heavy-haul carriers operate with more variables and pricing complexity than most freight segments,” said Todd Waldron, Vice President of Carrier Experience at Truckstop.com. “A wrong permit assumption or missed escort requirement can erase profit fast. Bringing ProMiles route intelligence into the Heavy Haul Load Board gives carriers pricing they can stand behind before they accept the load.”
Instead of building quotes off rough estimates or separate systems, carriers see the route, requirements, and associated costs alongside the load opportunity.
Truckstop’s Heavy-Haul Load Board is available for $299 a month.
[Related: New heavy-haul-specific load board]
Tesla claims more than 60 Semi chargers ‘coming soon'
The buildout of Tesla’s Megacharger network is underway with the company now showing two locations ready for its batteryelectric Semi: one in Sparks, Nevada, where the truck is assembled, and another in Lathrop, California, at Tesla’s battery factory.
Pilot Travel Centers last month inked a deal with Tesla to integrate Semi chargers into 20 sites across its sprawling fueling network. The Pilot partnership focuses on high-traffic corridors, including I-5 and I-10, stretching across five key states: California, Georgia, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas.
Tesla, on its map of charging locations, however, shows more that 60 Megachargers “coming soon" from coast-to-coast in more than a dozen states.
Tesla maintains that it plans to ramp production of its electric Class 8 in the coming months,. Construction on the Pilot-based charging network is set to begin in the first half of this year. The first wave of stations is expected to go live by summer.
