Diesel Price Edges Up 2 Cents to $2.896 a Gallon
he national average price of a gallon of diesel fuel edged up 2 cents to $2.896 as trucking’s main fuel continued to track toward the record highs set last fall, the Department of Energy said Monday.
Gasoline, meanwhile, rose 0.5 cent to $2.919 a gallon.
The diesel uptick was not as great as in the previous few weeks and followed a week in which crude oil prices receded slightly off a record high of more than $75 a barrel on April 21.
Diesel set an all-time record $3.157 a gallon last Oct. 24 following Hurricane Rita, while gasoline's record of $3.069 was set Sept. 5 following Hurricane Katrina.
Despite the relatively small diesel gain — which followed rises of 11.1 cents in each of the past two weeks — it jumped 10.9 cents in the Rocky Mountain region to $3.012, and 7.2 cents on the West Coast to $3.098.
The California price, which DOE breaks out separately, rose 6 cents to $3.163 a gallon, the highest overall price.
Each week, DOE surveys 350 diesel filling stations to compile a national snapshot average price.
