Diesel Rises 4.4¢ to $2.616 a Gallon
Diesel fuel’s national average price rose for the seventh straight week, gaining 4.4 cents to $2.616 a gallon, the Energy Department said.
The increase left diesel $2.032 below the same week last year when it was on its way up toward its all-time record of $4.764 a gallon, set last July 14.
Monday’s diesel price was the highest since Nov. 24, when it was $2.664, according to DOE records.
Trucking’s main fuel has risen 43.1 cents over the past seven weeks, as oil prices in the past two weeks crept past $70 for the first time since November.
Gasoline also rose Monday, gaining 1.9 cents to $2.691 a gallon, though the increase was smaller than in recent weeks.
Gas has risen for the past 11 weeks, in which its price has climbed 65.4 cents. Monday’s price left it $1.388 below the same week last year, when it was rising toward its $4.114 record set last July 7.
Oil declined Friday and Monday, closing below $67 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange Monday — down more than $4 from Thursday’s $71.37 closing price, which had been a seven-month high, Bloomberg reported.
Each week, DOE surveys about 350 diesel filling stations to compile a national snapshot average price.
