Diesel Jumps 15.5¢ to Record $3.974 a Gallon
Diesel fuel’s national average jumped another 15.5 cents Monday, to $3.974 a gallon, for its fourth straight record high, the Department of Energy said Monday.
The increase left trucking’s main fuel $1.293 higher than the same week a year ago, according to DOE figures.
Gasoline, meanwhile, rose 5.9 cents to a second straight record, at $3.284 a gallon, DOE said following its weekly price survey.
The diesel price topped the $4 level in both the East Coast region, at $4.035 a gallon, and the West Coast region, at $4.018.
It hit $4.083 a gallon in California, which DOE breaks out separately but is included in the West Coast tabulation.
The price also topped that level in East coast sub-regions of New England, at $4.119, and the Central Atlantic, which had the highest overall price, at $4.177 a gallon.
Crude oil prices soared to all-time highs last week on the New York Mercantile Exchange, closing at a record $110.33 a barrel on Thursday.
American Trucking Associations said Monday that this year would set a record for diesel fuel expenses for the trucking industry, at $135 billion, up $22 billion from last year. (Click here for related story.)
Each week, DOE surveys about 350 diesel filling stations to compile a national snapshot average price.
