Freight Pulse & Law Update: Diesel Squeezes Carriers Into Peak Season as FMCSA Opens the Split Sleeper Berth Pilot

Diesel is tightening carrier economics heading into peak season, and FMCSA is advancing a voluntary study of more flexible sleeper-berth splits. With higher fuel costs, thinning capacity and I-95 construction closing lanes from Newark to South Philadelphia next week, shippers moving freight through the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast need to plan around all three.

Why are diesel costs tightening capacity?

DOE/EIA’s national diesel average is $6.18 per gallon, up 70.7% year over year, reports Transport Topics. WiseTech Global data puts shipper fuel cost per mile up 92%; fuel is 22% of transportation spending versus a long-term average of about 15%. Flat all-in rates expose carriers: indexed surcharges lag and exclude empty miles. Carriers resist advance bookings and longer contracts without fuel terms, and avoid some regions and long-haul moves. DAT analyst Dean Croke says fuel accounts for roughly one-fifth of last year’s trucking-rate increase; tighter capacity is the larger driver. Long-haul and refrigerated lanes face the most pressure, with higher bid-season pricing possible if diesel stays elevated.

What is FMCSA testing?

An October 7 Federal Register notice opens comments through December 7. FMCSA would study 256 volunteer drivers for 16 weeks, testing a five-hour minimum sleeper period and 5/5 or 6/4 splits, with a full program launch planned for 2027. This is a study, not a nationwide rule change. Carriers and safety teams should submit comments before the deadline.

Which I-95 closures affect next week’s lanes?

• Newark, Delaware:DelDOT work brings northbound single-lane closures Oct. 19, 6 p.m.–Oct. 20, 7 a.m., and Oct. 21, 3 p.m.–Oct. 22, 7 a.m. Southbound: one lane from 7 p.m. Oct. 22, two lanes 9 p.m.–7 a.m., plus high-speed E-ZPass closure and Route 896 ramp closures and lane shifts.

• South Philadelphia:PennDOT bridge repairs mean southbound I-95 Christian–Front lane closures nightly, 9 p.m.–5 a.m. Oct. 20–23; Oregon–Front has a lane closure 11 p.m. Oct. 23–5 a.m. Oct. 26. Work is weather dependent; allow extra transit time.

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