During the pandemic, we all did weird things. Baked sourdough. Watched Tiger King. And oil refineries? They stopped making as much fuel. Why? Because nobody was driving.
Fast forward to now. The world woke up, yawned, and said, “I need to move everything by truck again.” But refineries didn’t just flip a switch. They can’t—it takes months to restart a refinery, and some closed permanently. Oops.
So we’ve got more demand for diesel than supply. It’s like showing up to a potluck where everyone brought chips, but nobody brought the dip. Disappointing.
Wait, why is diesel special?
Here’s the thing: diesel isn’t just for pickup trucks that roll coal. It powers big rigs, trains, farm equipment, and construction machines. Ever try to move a shipping container on a skateboard? Exactly.
Diesel is the backbone of the supply chain. When it’s tight, everything gets tight. Grocery stores, Amazon packages, your new couch—all of it rides on diesel. No pressure, right?
And here’s the kicker: refineries make gasoline and diesel at the same time. They can’t just “make more diesel” without also making a ton of gas. But we need more diesel and less gas right now. Talk about a sticky wicket.
