Monthly Report · May 2026
State of Cross-Border Freight
May 2026: U.S. on-highway diesel up 0.0%, UPS parcel fuel surcharge +0.00 pts, and Canada-US commercial border waits up 0 minutes on average.
Published June 1, 2026 · Covers 2026-05-01 to 2026-05-31
EIA Diesel Avg
$5.57/gal
â–² 0.0% MoM
UPS / FedEx FSC
24.00% / 24.50%
â–¼ 0.00 pts MoM
Network Avg Border Wait
2 min
â–² 0 min MoM
Diesel: weekly EIA national average
The U.S. on-highway diesel index averaged $5.57/gal in January 1970, a up 0.0% change from December's $0.00/gal — and up 0.0% year over year.
Weekly EIA on-highway national diesel price · weeks ending May 3 – May 31, 2026
Diesel climbed through the month. The week-ending high was $5.64 versus a low of $5.35, a swing of 0.29 per gallon. That works out to roughly $2 in added fuel cost per 1,000-mile dry-van trip (at 6.5 mpg).
Fuel surcharges: parcel and LTL
Carriers reset fuel surcharges weekly off the EIA index. Below is the monthly average effective surcharge on each carrier's published table, plus an LTL composite drawn from the major carriers' national tariffs.
| Carrier / Mode | Jan 1970 avg | Prior month | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPS Ground (parcel) | 24.00% | 0.00% | â–¼ 0.00 pts |
| FedEx Ground (parcel) | 24.50% | 0.00% | â–¼ 0.00 pts |
| LTL composite (dry) | 46.9% | 0.0% | â–¼ 0.0 pts |
| Reefer LTL composite | 53.4% | 0.0% | â–¼ 0.0 pts |
| Reefer FTL spot ($/mi) | $0.80 | $0.00 | â–¼ $0.00 |
LTL composite reflects the simple average of Old Dominion, XPO, Saia, and Estes published national tables applied to the month's diesel average.
Canada–US commercial border waits
Network-wide commercial-truck wait time averaged 2 minutes across the CBSA reporting crossings — up 0 minutes from the previous month. The three busiest GTA-corridor and BC crossings:
Surrey, BC ↔ Blaine, WA
Pacific Highway
6 min
â–² 0 min vs prior month
Prior: 0 min
Huntingdon, BC ↔ Sumas, WA
Huntingdon / Sumas
5 min
â–² 0 min vs prior month
Prior: 0 min
Fort Erie, ON ↔ Buffalo, NY
Peace Bridge
3 min
â–² 0 min vs prior month
Prior: 0 min
From the CargoTools desk
— CargoTools Editorial Team
What this means for your shipping costs
- → Parcel: Parcel fuel surcharges held flat versus last month. No material change in your line-item exposure.
- → LTL: LTL fuel surcharges held flat. Audit invoices for accessorial creep instead — that's where most overcharges hide.
- → Cross-border: Border waits held roughly steady. Check our live Border Wait Times dashboard before dispatch.
Use these data points in your workflow
Tool
Live Fuel Surcharge Tracker →
UPS and FedEx surcharges this week, updated from EIA diesel automatically.
Tool
FSC Auditor →
Was your fuel surcharge fair? Compare carrier billing against the EIA standard.
Tool
Border Wait Times →
Live commercial-truck wait times across all CBSA crossings.
Tool
USMCA Checker →
Confirm your shipment qualifies for duty-free Canada–US–Mexico treatment.
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One email on the 1st of every month — diesel, fuel surcharges, border waits, and a short editorial read. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
Methodology & sources
Diesel prices reflect the EIA's published U.S. weekly on-highway average aggregated across daily snapshots taken during the month. Parcel fuel surcharge percentages are computed using each carrier's published indexed-rate table applied to that day's diesel price, then averaged. LTL fuel surcharge reflects an industry composite of major national carriers (Old Dominion, XPO, Saia, Estes) regressed against diesel. Border wait times are the daily commercial-truck reading sourced from CBSA and CBP, averaged across the month.