Diesel Rises for Second Week, Climbing 2.9¢ to $2.861
Diesel fuel rose for the second straight week, gaining 2.9 cents to a national average $2.861 at the pump, the Department of Energy reported.
Gasoline also rose, gaining 4.7 cents for the second straight week to an average $2.702 per gallon, DOE said Monday following its weekly survey of filling stations.
Diesel’s upturn followed last week’s 7.6-cent jump that was its first in six weeks. Over the previous five weeks, it had declined 12.3 cents.
Coupled with last week’s increase, trucking’s main fuel has gained 10.5 cents in two weeks, coming close to erasing that five-week downturn.
Monday’s increase left diesel 77.4 cents over the same week last year, while gasoline is 76.8 cents higher than a year ago, according to DOE figures.
Gas had also declined for five straight weeks, dropping 14.3 cents before gaining back 9.4 cents in the past two weeks.
Oil hit a six-week high over $80 a barrel early Monday before falling back to finish the trading day on the New York Mercantile Exchange at $78.69 a barrel, down about $1 from Friday, Bloomberg reported.
Each week, DOE surveys about 350 diesel filling stations to compile a national snapshot average price.
