Bruce Harmon/Trans PixsDiesel will average $3.84 this year, led by higher oil prices, the Department of Energy said, boosting its most recent forecast by a nickel.
But trucking’s main fuel will fall to an average $3.62 per gallon next year, DOE said in its monthly short-term energy outlook released Tuesday. That’s up 4 cents from last month’s outlook.
DOE last month lowered its 2012 diesel price forecast by 11 cents.
Crude oil will average $93.90 a barrel this year, up about $1 from last month’s forecast. In 2013, oil will average $90.25, up from last month’s $88.50 projection.
Crude futures closed Tuesday up $1.47 to $93.67 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, a two-month high, Bloomberg reported.