POSSIBILITY OF PAROLE. SENTENCING IS SET FOR JUNE 12TH. DIESEL PRICES HAVE BEEN CLIMBING SHARPLY FOR MANY TRUCKERS, AND AS TENSIONS CONTINUE OVERSEAS IN THE WAR WITH IRAN, THOSE EFFECTS ARE BEING FELT HERE LOCALLY. KCRA 3’S, VAN NESS AND CORTEZ TALKED WITH EXPERTS AND TRUCKERS ON THE FUTURE OF FREIGHT. RIGHT AT THAT 60 GALLON $480. YOU HEARD THAT CORRECTLY. I’M ABOUT TO STOP THIS BECAUSE I HAVE ENOUGH ALREADY. THAT’S NOT EVEN A FULL TANK. ONLY A QUARTER. TRUCKERS ACROSS THE STATE ARE FEELING SOME EXTRA WEIGHT, AND IT ISN’T CARGO, BUT THE COST OF DIESEL FUEL LIKE 100 GALLONS PROBABLY, WHAT, 500 $600? NOW, AS GAS PRICES SOAR ABOVE $5 A GALLON DIESEL FUEL IN CALIFORNIA, SURGING ABOVE $6 FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FOUR YEARS. EVERYTHING GOING ON WITH THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ, IT IS IMPACTING GLOBAL SUPPLY. SO WHEN YOU HAVE ANY IMPACT ON THE GLOBAL SUPPLY, IT WILL INCREASE PRICES HERE AT HOME. ACCORDING TO TRIPLE A DIESEL FUEL AND SACRAMENTO HAS INCREASED MORE THAN 30% FOR AN ADDITIONAL $1.52 FROM LAST YEAR. IT’S ONE THING RISES, EVERYTHING STARTS GOING. IT’S LIKE A IT’S LIKE A TRICKLE DOWN EFFECT. SO ONCE ONE STARTS AND EVERYTHING ELSE STARTS SLOWLY INCREASING JUST BECAUSE OF THAT ONE THING LIKE FUEL, CALIFORNIA TRUCKING ASSOCIATION, THAT REPRESENTS MORE THAN A THOUSAND MEMBER COMPANIES ACROSS THE STATE, TELLING KCRA THE RECENT FUEL SPIKE ADDS TO THE COST OF TRANSPORTING CARGO, WHICH WILL BE PASSED DOWN TO CONSUMERS AND THE PRICE OF EVERYDAY GOODS LIKE CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS, GROCERIES, HEALTHCARE SUPPLIES AND RETAIL PRODUCTS. MORE THAN $1.50 JUMP IN JUST FOUR WEEKS. THAT IS A RECORD THAT WE HAVE NEVER SEEN AS OVERSEAS TENSIONS CONTINUE, SO WILL THE EXTRA COST FOR MANY HERE IN THE REGION. YOU ALWAYS WISH OR HOPE? OH MAN. YOU KNOW, HOPE IT GETS CHEAPER. BUT YOU GO NEXT DAY. IT’S ACTUALLY MORE THAN THE DAY YOU LOOKED AT IT TWO WEEKS AGO. SACRAMENTO DENZEL CORTEZ, KCRA THREE NEWS. ABOUT 20% OF THE WORLD’S OIL SUPPLY FLOWS THROUGH THE STRAIT
Diesel prices surge above $6 in California, raising concerns for supply chain
Strait of Hormuz disruptions have sent national diesel prices soaring above $5 since 2022
Updated: 11:07 PM PDT Mar 19, 2026
Diesel fuel prices in California have surged above $6 per gallon for the first time in four years, raising concern among truckers and increasing the cost of transporting goods across the state.Truckers say they are feeling the strain as prices climb, with some paying as much as $600 to fill up.“Right now, it’s at 60 gallons? $418,” trucker Vue Yang said. “That’s not even a full tank.”The spike comes as tensions involving Iran have disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil transit route that carries about 20% of the world’s oil supply. Ongoing threats and instability in the region have slowed tanker traffic, tightening global supply and driving prices higher.Doug Johnson with AAA said those global supply issues are directly impacting drivers here at home.“Everything going on with the Strait of Hormuz is impacting global supply. Any impact to global supply will increase prices here at home,” Johnson said.According to AAA, diesel prices in Sacramento have risen more than 30 percent, or about $1.52, compared to last year. The California Trucking Association, which represents more than 1,000 member companies, told KCRA 3 the spike is adding to “the cost of transporting cargo, which will be passed down to consumers in the price of everyday goods like construction materials, groceries, health care supplies and retail products.”Johnson also pointed to the speed of the increase.“More than a $1.50 jump in just four weeks. That is a record we have never seen,” he said.As tensions overseas continue, higher costs are expected to persist. Truckers say they hope for relief, but uncertainty remains.“You hope it gets cheaper, but you check the next day, and it’s actually gone up,” Yang said.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
, Calif. —
Diesel fuel prices in California have surged above $6 per gallon for the first time in four years, raising concern among truckers and increasing the cost of transporting goods across the state.
Truckers say they are feeling the strain as prices climb, with some paying as much as $600 to fill up.
“Right now, it’s at 60 gallons? $418,” trucker Vue Yang said. “That’s not even a full tank.”
The spike comes as tensions involving Iran have disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil transit route that carries about 20% of the world’s oil supply. Ongoing threats and instability in the region have slowed tanker traffic, tightening global supply and driving prices higher.
Doug Johnson with AAA said those global supply issues are directly impacting drivers here at home.
“Everything going on with the Strait of Hormuz is impacting global supply. Any impact to global supply will increase prices here at home,” Johnson said.
According to AAA, diesel prices in Sacramento have risen more than 30 percent, or about $1.52, compared to last year.
The California Trucking Association, which represents more than 1,000 member companies, told KCRA 3 the spike is adding to “the cost of transporting cargo, which will be passed down to consumers in the price of everyday goods like construction materials, groceries, health care supplies and retail products.”
Johnson also pointed to the speed of the increase.
“More than a $1.50 jump in just four weeks. That is a record we have never seen,” he said.
As tensions overseas continue, higher costs are expected to persist. Truckers say they hope for relief, but uncertainty remains.
“You hope it gets cheaper, but you check the next day, and it’s actually gone up,” Yang said.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel