Diesel Jumps Again; Up 1.5 Cents to $1.169

The average price of diesel climbed for the second straight week, jumping another 1.5 cents per gallon to $1.169, the Department of Energy said this week. The back-to-back increases follow 13 weeks of falling prices.

The price had been falling since mid-September, but has gone up 2.6 cents per gallon over the last two weeks.

The onset of colder weather in some regions often pushes the price of diesel fuel up, because of increased demand for home heating oil, which is very similar to diesel fuel. In addition, an announced cut in crude oil production by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other major oil producers, had increased the price of oil, which directly affects the price of diesel fuel.

The price of gasoline also rose last week, the DOE’s Energy Information Administration said. The price jumped 2.4 cents to $1.096 per gallon.

While the biggest trucks run on diesel fuel, a significant portion of the commercial trucking business is carried out in trucks that use gasoline. Both fuels impact the cost of truck service.

The price rose in every region and all but the New England subregion showed price spikes.

The largest price increase was seen on the West Coast where it jumped 2.5 cents to $1.259 a gallon, paced by a 3-cent per gallon rise in California.

he Gulf Coast and Rocky Mountain regions also saw sizeable increases of 2.2 cents and 1.8 cents per gallon respectively.

The lowest price for diesel, $1.124, was in the Rocky Mountains. The highest price in the country was in New England, where a gallon of diesel fuel costs $1.289.

The EIA surveys 350 fueling stations in five districts at the start of each week, and usually reports the results on the same day that it polls the stations.

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