Diesel Slips 0.7¢ to $2.801 a Gallon
Diesel’s national average price fell for the first time in five weeks, dipping 0.7 cent — the same as last week’s increase — to $2.801 a gallon, the Department of Energy reported Monday.
Gasoline also fell for the first time in a month, declining 2.8 cents to $2.666 a gallon, DOE said following its weekly survey of filling stations.
Diesel had risen 22.6 cents over the previous four weeks and Monday’s slip follows declines in oil prices to below $80 a barrel in the past two weeks.
The downturn left trucking’s main fuel 14.3 cents below the same week last year.
Gas also rose 22.6 cents over the previous four weeks and Monday’s price left the motor fuel 44.2 cents higher than the same week last year.
After topping $80 a barrel during the third week in October on the New York Mercantile Exchange, oil slid in the past two weeks to below that level with one exception, Nymex figures showed.
Oil rose about $2 Monday to close at about $79.44 a barrel on the Nymex, Bloomberg reported.
Each week, DOE surveys about 350 diesel filling stations to compile a national snapshot average price.
