Diesel Falls 17.7¢ to $3.482; Gas Drops 23.7¢ to Below $3
Diesel’s national average pump price fell for the 13th time in the last 14 weeks, declining 17.7 cents to $3.482 a gallon, the Department of Energy said Monday.
The downturn left trucking’s main fuel just 38.8 cents higher than the same week last year, and $1.282 below the $4.764 record set on July 14.
Diesel’s 21.6-cent drop last week was the biggest decline since the 28.1-cent downturn following hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.
Gasoline, meanwhile, plunged 23.7 cents to $2.914 a gallon, the first time it has been below $3 since February.
The gas decline followed last week’s 33.3-cent downturn, the biggest drop since DOE began weekly tracking in 1990.
Crude oil — which fell more than 50% since its $145.18 per-barrel record set July 14 — rose $2 Monday after bottoming out at a year-low $69.85 a barrel last Thursday.
Crude rose $2 Friday and another $2.40 Monday to close at $74.25 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, Bloomberg reported.
Each week, DOE surveys about 350 diesel filling stations to compile a national snapshot average price.
