Diesel Drops 2.8¢ to $3.416
The national average price of retail diesel fuel fell 2.8 cents from last week’s all-time record to $3.416 a gallon, the Department of Energy reported Monday.
Trucking’s primary fuel had hit records in three of the past four weeks, peaking at $3.444 a gallon last week, following soaring crude oil prices.
Monday’s price is the third-highest on record, as diesel’s average was $3.425 a gallon three weeks ago.
Regular gasoline, meanwhile, fell 3.6 cents to $3.061 a gallon, DOE said following its weekly survey of filling stations.
Oil prices dropped sharply over the past 10 days, closing Friday at $88.71 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange from a peak of $98.18 a week earlier.
Monday’s closing dipped slightly from Friday, to $88.58, Bloomberg reported.
Diesel prices fell in all five regions, led by a 5.5-cent drop on the West Coast to $3.532, the highest regional average.
Prices in California, which DOE breaks out separately, fell 5.3 cents to $3.567 a gallon, DOE said. The Midwest had the lowest regional price, at $3.385.
Each week, DOE surveys about 350 diesel filling stations to compile a national snapshot average price.
