Requests to store distillate fuel in tanks with a railroad connection soared to 250,000 barrels in March, up from 30,000 barrels in February and none in January, according to The Tank Tiger, a terminal storage clearinghouse. And as of last week, there have already been requests for 125,000 barrels worth of storage in April.
All of those requests occurred on the East Coast and Gulf Coast, the key export hubs for the fuel.
Meanwhile, stocks of the fuel are falling, and near their lowest since last July on the Gulf Coast. That could mean Midwest refiners may see an opportunity to profit by exporting diesel overseas. To do that, they need to send their fuel to the coasts. While those shipping routes are possible by pipeline to the East Coast, it could be economically viable to send the fuel by railcar for export, said Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates.
And while pipelines connect the Midwest and the Gulf Coast, it’s not possible to send physical product all the way to the coast from the Midwest on a pipeline — meaning a railcar or a barge become the only viable options to send fuel for export in that direction, Lipow said.
Nationally, 9,112 railcars worth of petroleum products were delivered to terminals in March, up nearly 10% from March 2025, according to The Tank Tiger’s data.
“Exports from the coast can be attractive for Midwest refiners, particularly for diesel, when shortages overseas strengthen export economics and justify moving barrels toward coastal outlets,” said Steven Barsamian, chief operating officer at The Tank Tiger.
Diesel is vital to the world economy because it powers essential freight, construction and agriculture sectors. The longer the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed, the more intense the competition for oil and products is likely to become.
Trump is encouraging further depletion of US diesel:
Trump signals tankers headed to US to load up ‘sweetest’ oil: ‘We are waiting for you’
Story by Sophie Brams
• 6d
The Hill
‘We’re ready to go,’ Trump warns if Iran peace talks falter | NewsNation
President Trump said Saturday morning that “massive numbers” of empty tankers are headed to the U.S. to stock up on oil and gas, as Iran continues to restrict movement in the Strait of Hormuz.
Wall Street has been whipsawed for more than a week by President Trump’s every word about tariffs. Now he’s facing accusations of using his power to deliberately manipulate the markets.
The scrutiny started with a tale of two social media posts. On Wednesday, shortly after the U.S. stock market opened, Trump posted on his Truth Social network in all caps: “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!”
Less than four hours after his post, Trump said on Truth Social that he would pause the harshest of his tariffs on most countries.
Stocks immediately skyrocketed in relief, with the Dow closing up almost 3,000 points — meaning that any investors who had followed Trump’s advice in the morning and bought into the stock market right away would have made quite a bit of money by the end of the day.
Prior to his post, share prices had been plummeting for days, as fears mounted about the economic damage Trump’s new trade policies could cause. Powerful investors and billionaire business leaders had increasingly gone public airing their worries about the new tariffs and the resulting financial panic.
By Wednesday afternoon, Trump seemed to hear them when he hit pause.
Retired, living in the Scottish Borders after living most of my life in cities in England. I can now indulge my interest in all aspects of living close to nature in a wild landscape. I live on what was once the Iapetus Ocean which took millions of years to travel from the Southern Hemisphere to here in the Northern Hemisphere. That set me thinking and questioning and seeking answers.
In 1998 I co-wrote Millennium Countdown (US)/ A Business Guide to the Year 2000 (UK) see https://www.abebooks.co.uk/products/isbn/9780749427917
borderslynn 