As diesel prices pass $6.40 per gallon, the climbing price pressure is forcing difficult decisions for fleet operators, making it prohibitively expensive for them to continue running older-model trucks to haul heavy freight, according to a study from data analytics and asset performance firm Fleet Advantage.
Upgrading from a 2022 model year sleeper to a 2028 model year model can save organizations $12,655 per vehicle in the first year, the firm said in its latest Truck Life Cycle Data Index (TLDI), which compares all-in operating costs of Class-8 trucks across recent model years.
Diesel prices have climbed steadily since Fleet Advantage last released its TLDI in April, when the national average stood at just $5.47 per gallon. As fuel prices rise, the cost gap between older, less-efficient equipment and newer, more fuel-efficient trucks continues to widen, placing additional financial pressure on organizations running aging assets.
At $6.40 per gallon, even incremental improvements in fuel efficiency translate into thousands of dollars in annual savings per truck, significantly accelerating return on investment (ROI) timelines, the Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based firm said.
That’s because fuel economy continues to represent a major portion of the savings available through truck replacement. The first-year fuel cost for a 2028 model year truck is $66,057, compared with $78,875 for a 2022 truck.
“Choosing when to order trucks and what type of truck are two of the most consequential decisions an organization will make this decade,” said Brian Antonellis, CTP, Senior Vice President of Fleet Operations for Fleet Advantage. “With diesel at $6.40 per gallon and an EPA timeline that makes every quarter of delay more expensive, organizations cannot afford to make this call on instinct or incomplete information. The difference between ordering in Q4 2026 and waiting until late 2027 is more than $410,000 for every 100 trucks.”
