United States refineries operated at 95.3 percent of operable capacity for the week ending June 5, 2026, near the top of their practical range and a level that leaves little spare cushion to absorb outages. The prior reading two weeks earlier stood at 94.5 percent, according to weekly data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, indicating sustained high run rates through late spring.

Output of distillate fuel, the category that includes diesel, averaged 5.2 million barrels per day in early June. Over a trailing four-week window, distillate product supplied averaged 3.7 million barrels per day, up 7.2 percent from the same period a year earlier, reflecting firm demand from the freight sector. United States operable atmospheric distillation capacity totaled 18.4 million barrels per calendar day as of the start of 2025, essentially flat year over year, meaning supply growth has come from higher utilization rather than new refining capacity.

The combination of high utilization and flat capacity heightens the supply risk for diesel users. When refineries already run near their limits, any unplanned outage, maintenance shutdown, or storm-related disruption translates quickly into tighter distillate supply and upward price pressure. For trucking, which depends on diesel as its largest variable cost, the data illustrates how a refining system with minimal slack leaves fuel markets exposed to supply shocks.

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