Diesel Price Declines 10th Consecutive Week

The average price of diesel fuel fell 0.1 cent to $1.443 per gallon, the 10th straight week commercial trucking’s dominant fuel has declined, the U.S. Department of Energy reported Monday.

Diesel has declined 32.8 cents over the past 10 weeks, since setting an all-time record high of $1.771 on March 10. The decrease would save a trucker more than $65 on a purchase of 200 gallons of diesel.

This is the longest run of price decreases since a 13-week stretch between Sept. 17, 2001, and Dec. 17, 2001. In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, the price of diesel dropped 38.4 cents during that span.

One year ago, diesel was $130.9, according to DOE historical figures.

DOE also said that price average price of retail gasoline rose 0.7 cent to $1.48 per gallon. This was the first increase in nine weeks.

About one-third of commercial trucking uses gasoline.

Regionally, diesel increased by 1 cent in the Midwest and 0.9 cent along the Gulf Coast, DOE said.

The East Coast grouping of states saw the largest decline at 2 cents to 1.477.

Each week DOE surveys 350 diesel filling stations, using that information to compile a weekly snapshot of the price of diesel fuel.