U.S. Average Diesel Price Drops 0.1 Cent

The U.S. average pump price for diesel fuel fell 0.1 cent in the past week, to 144.2 cents per gallon as of April 30, the Energy Department reported Monday.

Although the savings for a trucker represented by this drop would be only about would be $2 for two 100-gallon tanks, it is the first time in five weeks the price has failed to rise.

The increases in recent weeks, which totaled 6.4 cents had confounded analysts who maintained they were overreactions to news of refinery difficulties and would soon reverse themselves.

It remains to be seen whether that long-awaited reversal is underway, but the picture in the regions tracked by DOE is mixed with a clear division between the Western regions – excluding California -- and the rest of the country.

On the East Coast, prices dropped by as much as a cent, with the average down 1.9 cents in New England. However, in the Rocky Mountain region, the price grew by 1.7 cents. In California, the diesel price was down three-tenths of a cent.

The U.S. Energy Information Agency surveys 350 fueling stations at the start of each week, and reports the results on the same day that it polls the stations.