Diesel Price Falls 1.3 Cents a Gallon; First Drop in 11 Weeks

The national average price of diesel fuel retreated 1.3 cents per gallon to $1.456 Monday after 10 consecutive weeks of increases, the Energy Department reported.

Diesel prices had been climbing steadily, tracking with the price of crude oil, which had been supported by a combination of Middle East war concerns and continuing output curbs instituted by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

The price of gasoline, trucking's other major fuel, also fell, the DOE said. Prices for the fuel dropped 1.4 cents a gallon to $1.444.

Monday’s diesel price stood at a level 15.3 cents above that of Aug. 12, when the current run-up began.

Of the various regions where DOE’s Energy Information Administration surveys retail prices, only two, the New England region and the Central Atlantic region, reported increases over the previous week, with New England up 1.2 cent to $1.496 and the Central Atlantic up 0.3 cent to $1.513 per gallon.

The EIA surveys 350 diesel filling stations each week to compile a national snapshot of the cost of diesel fuel

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