U.S. refineries operated at 94.5 percent of total capacity during the week ending May 22, 2026, a level that keeps the domestic fuel supply chain running close to its ceiling. Crude oil refinery inputs averaged 17.0 million barrels per day that week, a rise of 652,000 barrels per day from the prior week.

The high utilization is not a one-week event. Refineries registered a 94.8 percent utilization rate in December 2025, also processing about 17.0 million barrels per day of crude. Operating at these levels leaves little slack in the system, which means an unplanned outage, storm damage, or maintenance turnaround at a major refinery can tighten regional fuel supply and push diesel and gasoline prices higher.

That sensitivity matters for freight operators, whose largest variable cost is fuel. When refineries run near maximum throughput with limited spare capacity, the buffer that normally absorbs supply shocks shrinks. The result can be sharp regional price spikes even when national crude inventories look adequate.

EIA data through the first half of 2026 showed inputs rising while crude inventories drew down, a pattern consistent with strong refined-product demand heading into the summer driving season.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration - https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/data.php