US on-highway diesel averaged $6.529 a gallon in the week of September 21, according to the Energy Information Administration. It was the ninth weekly increase in eleven weeks and a new all-time high.
If your containers move inland on carrier haulage, that rise reaches you through each carrier’s own inland fuel charge. The amount on a given container depends on how the box actually moved inland and on whether the carrier’s charge tracks the diesel index or waits for a new notice. Your rate sheet shows neither.
This edition covers the US inland fuel charges published by Maersk, CMA CGM, ONE, Seaboard Marine and Hapag-Lloyd as of September 23, 2026, including changes already announced for October. Our April 2026 edition covered the first round of these charges worldwide.
US diesel through September 21
| Week of | US on-highway diesel ($/gal) |
|---|---|
| August 17 | 5.454 |
| August 24 | 5.652 |
| August 31 | 5.599 |
| September 7 | 5.967 |
| September 14 | 6.285 |
| September 21 | 6.529 |
FreightWaves puts the start of the run at $4.578 in the week of July 6, a rise of $1.951 a gallon. Diesel futures have fallen since their September 15 record settlement, so the retail average may be close to turning. A decline would reach invoices on the same terms as the rise: after a delay for indexed charges, and only by revision notice for flat ones.
US inland fuel charges by carrier
Every charge below applies only where the carrier performs the inland move. On merchant haulage, your own trucker bills fuel under its own surcharge instead.
| Carrier | Charge and scope | Amount | How it changes | Current level since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maersk | IFS / EFS on US truck moves Maersk completes | USD 140 | Fixed by notice. May apply while the EIA 13-week diesel average is above $2.52/gal | Pricing date on or after April 18, 2026 |
| Maersk | Emergency Operational Cost Recovery (imports) and Emergency Operational Cost Exports, via US and Canada inland rail ramps and container yards | Imports: USD 200 dry, USD 250 reefer Exports: USD 100 dry, USD 150 reefer | Fixed by notice | Import level from June 1, 2026; renamed on invoices from July 10 |
| CMA CGM | OCA17, US imports with on-carriage | USD 100 to 345, by delivery type and mode | Fixed by notice | May 16, 2026 |
| CMA CGM | PCA17, US exports with pre-carriage | USD 100 to 200, by delivery type and mode | Fixed by notice | May 16, 2026 |
| ONE | IHD (inbound) and IHL (outbound), US and Canada inland moves | Per container, by mode and routing in ONE’s tariff appendix | Reviewed monthly against diesel prices | Current levels from August 1; new levels announced for October 8, 2026 |
| Seaboard Marine | USDFS on US motor, motor/rail and rail moves | 54.50% from September 27 57.50% from October 11 | Two-week DOE average, reset every two weeks with 30 days’ notice | Rolling |
| Hapag-Lloyd | EFO / EFD emergency inland fuel charge, North America | Through September 30: USD 44 truck/waterway, USD 66 rail, USD 110 combined rail From October 1: USD 64 truck/waterway, USD 96 rail, USD 160 combined rail | Updated monthly | Current level from August 1; new level from October 1, 2026 |
Maersk’s intermodal fuel line no longer says fuel. Since July 10, the rail ramp and container yard surcharge appears on invoices as Emergency Operational Cost Recovery for imports and Emergency Operational Cost Exports for exports, split out from the ocean Emergency Bunker Surcharge. Maersk says pricing did not change. An invoice search for “fuel” will miss it.
ONE keeps its amounts in a tariff appendix rather than in the notice text. The current levels took effect August 1, but ONE has already published the next revision for October 8. For example, the inbound all-truck tier rises from USD 50 per dry or reefer container to USD 105 dry and USD 135 reefer.
Hapag-Lloyd publishes EFO and EFD by inland mode. Through September 30, the emergency component is USD 44 per container by truck or waterway, USD 66 by rail and USD 110 by combined rail. From October 1, those levels rise to USD 64, USD 96 and USD 160 respectively. EFO/EFD sits on top of Hapag-Lloyd’s existing FOI/FDI inland fuel charge, which was frozen at its pre-crisis level when the emergency surcharge was introduced.
The inland mode sets the amount
CMA CGM prices its US charge by delivery type and transport mode. For imports under OCA17, the tiers in force since May 16 are:
| Delivery and inland mode | USD per container |
|---|---|
| Ramp delivery, all rail | 245 |
| Ramp delivery, all barge | 100 |
| Door delivery, all motor | 100 |
| Door delivery, motor and rail | 345 |
| Door delivery, barge and motor | 245 |
Take two CMA CGM import containers discharged at the same port. One is trucked to a consignee near the terminal and carries USD 100. The other travels by rail to an inland ramp and then by truck to the door, and carries USD 345. If the consignee collects that second box at the ramp with its own trucker, the carrier bills USD 245 for the rail leg and the trucker’s own fuel surcharge covers the last mile.
Maersk uses two separate charges: USD 140 where it completes the truck move, plus the applicable emergency intermodal charge for shipments moving through an inland rail ramp or container yard. For imports, that intermodal charge is currently USD 200 per dry container and USD 250 per reefer. On a store-door move that uses an inland rail ramp or container yard plus carrier-arranged trucking, the two charges can apply together.
On carrier haulage the carrier arranges the inland routing, so the mode behind an invoice line is not always the one your team assumed when quoting. Each container’s own events record what actually happened. Rail events between discharge and delivery put a box in a rail tier. A full gate-out onto a truck at the port, with no rail leg after it, means all-motor.
If your team checks these lines by hand against how each box moved, see how ops teams follow each container across carriers.
When the September readings reach invoices
Seaboard Marine is the carrier here whose surcharge follows diesel automatically, with a built-in delay. Its page explains that the rate effective April 12 was based on prices published March 3 and March 10. On the same pattern, the 57.50% taking effect October 11 reflects early-September readings, which averaged about $5.78 a gallon. The September 14 and September 21 readings of $6.285 and $6.529 will feed a later reset, around October 25 on that timing.
The flat amounts from Maersk and CMA CGM stay where they are until the carrier publishes a revision. Maersk’s import intermodal level dates from June 1 and CMA CGM’s tiers from May 16, both before the run that began July 6. When a revision arrives, the pricing date it names decides which open bookings take the new amount. Maersk’s fuel notices define that date for FMC-regulated cargo as the day Maersk takes possession of the last container on the transport document. Our breakdown of Maersk’s October terminal handling changes shows how a last-container trigger plays out on a live booking.
ONE and Hapag-Lloyd both use monthly revisions. Hapag-Lloyd’s next EFO/EFD levels are already published for October 1, while ONE’s next IHD/IHL levels take effect October 8. Those announced changes therefore reach invoices before any later revision based on the September 14 and September 21 diesel readings.
What to re-check before October invoices
- Mark each US lane as carrier haulage or merchant haulage. Only carrier haulage carries these charges. For merchant moves, check which diesel price your trucker’s fuel surcharge is keyed to, as covered in our October outlook for Los Angeles and Long Beach.
- For CMA CGM imports, record the delivery type and inland mode of each container and compare it with the OCA17 tier on the invoice.
- For Maersk, search invoices for Emergency Operational Cost Recovery as well as IFS and EFS, and check whether both truck and intermodal charges apply to a store-door move.
- For Seaboard, budget 54.50% from September 27 and 57.50% from October 11, and expect the mid-September diesel readings at a later reset.
- For ONE, compare the container’s mode and routing with the IHD/IHL tariff appendix and account for the new levels from October 8.
- For Hapag-Lloyd, check both the existing FOI/FDI fuel line and the EFO/EFD emergency component. The latter rises on October 1.
- When Maersk or CMA CGM publishes a revision, sort open bookings by the pricing date the notice names before re-quoting.
Further Reading
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Gasoline and Diesel Retail Prices
- FreightWaves, Benchmark diesel sets new record; futures signaling relief? (September 22, 2026)
- Maersk, United States Inland Fuel Surcharge (April 1, 2026)
- Maersk, U.S. & Canada Emergency Intermodal Fuel Surcharge Implementation, Inland Rail Ramps and Container Yards, Imports only (May 12, 2026)
- Maersk, U.S. & Canada Emergency Intermodal Fuel Surcharge, Inland Rail Ramps and Container Yards (June 29, 2026)
- Maersk, Intermodal Fuel Fee update in DACH, with its price calculation date definitions (May 5, 2026)
- CMA CGM, U.S. Emergency Inland Fuel Surcharge (PCA17 / OCA17), revised for May 16, 2026
- ONE, Notice of Inland Emergency Fuel Surcharge, US / Canada, updated September 8, 2026
- Seaboard Marine, U.S. Domestic Fuel Surcharge
- Hapag-Lloyd, North American Local Charges and Service Fees
- Hapag-Lloyd, Introduction of Emergency Fuel / Energy Surcharges (Inland) – Region North America
Diesel prices are EIA weekly US on-highway averages from the September 22, 2026 release; the July 6 starting point is as reported by FreightWaves. Carrier charges are from Maersk notices dated April 1, May 12 and June 29, 2026, CMA CGM’s US notice as revised for May 16, 2026, ONE’s US and Canada inland haulage notice updated September 8, 2026, Seaboard Marine’s USDFS page as updated September 11, 2026, and Hapag-Lloyd’s North America emergency inland fuel notice and US local charges documents effective August 1 and October 1, 2026. The timing of Seaboard’s reset for the mid-September readings is derived from the example on its own page. These charges apply to carrier haulage only and can change at short notice. Confirm current amounts and pricing dates with your carrier and against your service contract before quoting. Information current as of September 23, 2026.
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