‘Skyrocketing’ diesel prices impacting area businesses

September 20, 2026 - 01:22

The cost of diesel fuel has climbed sharply in the Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton area, putting new pressure on companies that depend on heavy trucks and equipment to keep running. As of Thursday, the average price in the local market reached $6.52 per gallon. That figure sits roughly $2.50 above where it stood one year ago and is closing in on the all-time high of $6.62 recorded in May 2022.

For trucking firms, construction crews, delivery services and farms, diesel is not a minor expense. It is a daily cost that scales with every mile driven and every hour a machine stays running. When the price jumps by more than two dollars in a year, the math changes fast. Owners who locked in fuel budgets months ago now find those plans outdated.

Many businesses face a difficult choice. They can absorb the extra cost and accept thinner margins, or they can pass part of it to customers through higher rates and surcharges. Neither option is comfortable. Raising prices risks losing contracts to competitors, while absorbing the hit can wipe out profits on jobs that were already bid tight.

Some operators are responding by combining routes, cutting idle time and delaying nonessential trips. Others are holding off on equipment purchases or hiring. The broader concern is that sustained high diesel prices could slow local economic activity, since almost every good sold in the region spends time on a truck before it reaches a shelf. With no clear sign of relief at the pump, area businesses are preparing for a costly stretch ahead.