Diesel Average Rises 1.7 Cents to $2.489 a Gallon

he average retail price of diesel fuel rose 1.7 cents to $2.489 a gallon, the Department of Energy reported Monday.

Meanwhile, the average price of regular gasoline rose 2.1 cents to $2.357 a gallon, DOE said following its weekly survey of filling stations.

Diesel's uptick followed last week’s -cent 2.3-cent increase, and the price has risen in three of the five reported weeks this year, trending upward from $2.448 a gallon in late December.

The price of trucking’s primary fuel is 49.7 cents higher than the same time last year, meaning a trucker pumping 200 gallons into his or her rig is paying about $100 more this year.

Regional diesel average prices rose in all five regions, led by a 3.9-cent jump in the Rocky Mountain region to $2.474 a gallon.

The West Coast was the highest regional average at $2.64, up 3.2 cents over last week.

In California, which DOE breaks out separately from its regions, the price spiked 5.9 cents to $2.733, the highest reported price.

The Midwest had the lowest average, at $2.431, rising 0.8 cent for the week.

Each week, DOE surveys 350 diesel filling stations to compile a national snapshot average price.