Diesel Price Up 0.6 Cent; Fourth Straight Increase

The price of diesel fuel across the nation rose 0.6 cent per gallon to $1.30 – its fourth consecutive increase, the Department of Energy said Monday.

Diesel is the primary fuel for commercial trucking, making its price very important to the industry. The other fuel used in commercial trucking, gasoline, saw its price jump 1.2 cents from last week to $1.394.

Gasoline has seen its price stay flat on balance over the last two weeks. Before this gain, the price fell 1 cent per gallon last week. Since July 1, the price of gasoline has had an overall increase of 0.2 cent per gallon.

The increase pushed the average price of diesel to its highest point since June 3, when it was also $1.30. In a year-over-year comparison, the price remained 8 cents per gallon below 2001 levels.

Over the past four weeks, the price of diesel has now increased 2.5 cents.

While diesel prices have increased steadily, fuel analyst Trilby Lundberg said gasoline prices were virtually unchanged across the country over the past three weeks. (Click here for related coverage.)

Each week, the DOE’s Energy Information Administration surveys 350 diesel filling stations across the country to compile a composite snapshot of diesel prices nationwide.