DOE Avg. Diesel Price Spikes 5.1 Cents

The average U.S. retail pump price for diesel fuel that powers long-haul trucking spiked by 5.1 cents per gallon to $1.491 in the latest week, the Department of Energy said after its Dec. 30 survey of fuel stations.

That follows a 3.9 cent average price rise the week before, for a gain of 9.0 cents in just two weeks. DOE said the latest increase leaves diesel's average a full 32.2 cents above where it was a year earlier.

DOE also said the average price for regular unleaded gasoline rose by 4 cents in the past week after rising 3.8 cents the week before, leaving a gallon of gasoline 34.5 more expensive than a year earlier. Although the largest trucks burn diesel, many trucking operations use gasoline in smaller vehicles such as pickup and delivery vans.

The latest survey of diesel stations showed the largest price spike in the Lower Atlantic grouping of states along the East Coast, where the average price rose 6.5 cents. But the Central Atlantic and Midwest areas had price hikes nearly as great.

Along the West Coast, where prices usually run higher, average diesel prices did not rise as sharply. That left the average California diesel price -- which has long held the highest-cost position -- at $1.577 this week, below the Central Atlantic average of $1.581.