Fuel

The average price of U.S. retail diesel rose for the 15th consecutive week, bumping up another 3.7 cents to $3.908 a gallon, nearly $1 higher than the comparable week of last year, according to the Department of Energy.

Staggeringly high prices for fuel are with us again. The last time fuel prices were hovering in the neighborhood of $3.80 to $4.40 per gallon, many trucking companies fought back aggressively, using fuel conservation techniques and making sure drivers used the cheapest options available.

Oil rose modestly from a two-week low but remained under $100 a barrel Wednesday following a report that showed crude inventories rose last week.

Telematics provider inthinc Technology Solutions Inc. said it launched a Web-based portal for its driver performance-rating product.

Oil fell to a two-week low Monday to less than $100 a barrel in part due to concerns that Japan’s big earthquake Friday will hurt growth and reduce fuel demand in that country’s economy, the world’s third-largest, Bloomberg reported.

Fuel prices have now jumped so high that we all need to pay close attention. Not that we can do much about these skyrocketing prices, except pay and grumble.

U.S. retail diesel prices shot up another 15.5 cents last week in the largest one-week increase in nearly three years, as the national average price reached $3.871 a gallon, the highest since October 2008, the Department of Energy said.