Retail Diesel Average Drops 3.5 Cents to $2.227
he average price of retail diesel fuel fell for a second straight week, dropping 3.5 cents to $2.227 a gallon, the Energy Department reported Monday.
The drop was the third in fourth weeks, DOE figures showed, following four consecutive all-time record highs starting March 21 that peaked at $2.316 on April 11.
Meanwhile the average price of regular gasoline dropped 4.9 cents to $2.186 a gallon, DOE said. It was the third straight drop following record high prices in late March and early April, when gasoline peaked at $2.28 April 11.
But it was still 48.2 cents above this time last year, which would translate to an extra $96.40 this year for a trucker pumping 200 gallons into a big rig.
For a second straight week DOE reported diesel prices fell in every geographic region.
The West Coast saw the biggest decline, dropping 4.9 cents to $2.481 a gallon, while California's average price dropped 4.3 cents to $2.518.
The two continued to have the highest prices nationwide. Truckers told Transport Topics that the Pacific Northwest had prices even higher than California.
The Midwest region had the lowest reported price, at $2.157 a gallon, DOE said.
Each week DOE surveys 350 diesel-filling stations to compile a national snapshot price.
