Diesel Declines 2.5¢ to $3.964; Gasoline Climbs to Record $3.29
Diesel’s national average pump price saw its first decline in two months, falling 2.5 cents Monday to $3.964 a gallon, the Department of Energy reported.
The downturn — which was the first since Jan. 28 and followed five straight record highs — left trucking’s main fuel $1.174 over the same week last year, according to DOE figures.
Gasoline, after a downturn last week, rose 3.1 cents to a new record $3.29 a gallon, DOE said following its weekly survey of filling stations.
Meanwhile, independent truckers getting squeezed by the soaring costs of fuel are planning a grass-roots strike or slowdowns this week, news reports said.
In Pennsylvania, truckers on Monday blew their horns in the capital, Harrisburg, protesting high prices and calling for elimination of the state’s 38.1-cent tax on diesel, the highest in the nation, the Associated Press reported.
Some independent operators plan to park their trucks or stall traffic by driving slowly on Tuesday, the Indianapolis Star reported.
Owner-operators said they plan to stay off the road anywhere from one day to one week, starting Tuesday, KCNC-TV Denver reported on its Web site Monday.
Diesel prices again topped $4 a gallon on the East and West Coasts, and in the sub-regions of New England, the Central Atlantic and in California, DOE said.
The price rose in only one region, the Rocky Mountains, where it gained 1.9 cents to $3.972 a gallon.
Each week, DOE surveys about 350 diesel filling stations to compile a national snapshot average price.
