Average U.S. diesel fuel price drops another 2 cents

For the fifth week in a row, the average price for a gallon of diesel fuel across the U.S. has dropped, according to the weekly report issued for Monday, Aug. 12, by the Energy Information Administration.

The national average price has been dropping every week since July 8, when the price was $3.055 per gallon.

Decreases were reported for all regions, ranging from 1.8 cents in the Central Atlantic, Midwest and West Coast without California regions to 3.4 cents in New England.

Following are the average prices for diesel fuel by region as reported by the EIA for Monday:

• U.S. – $3.011, down 2.1 cents.
• East Coast – $3.034, down 2.1 cents.
• New England – $3.073, down 3.4 cents.
• Central Atlantic – $3.215, down 1.8 cents.
• Lower Atlantic – $2.904, down 1.9 cents.
• Midwest – $2.924, down 1.8 cents.
• Gulf Coast – $2.763, down 2.4 cents.
• Rocky Mountain – $2.94, down 2.5 cents.
• West Coast – $3.58, down 2.5 cents.
• West Coast without California – $3.164, down 1.8 cents.
• California – $3.909, down 3.1 cents.

The national average U.S. retail price for diesel fuel dropped 1.4 cents on Monday, Aug. 12, from a week previous, according to ProMiles.

ProMiles, the software company that maintains the websites ProMiles.com and TruckMiles.com, offers its own weekly fuel price information. The company’s fuel price data are presented in the same format used by the EIA in the agency’s weekly reports. The prices include a national average as well as regional averages, and comparisons to the previous week and the previous year.

A key difference between the EIA and ProMiles reporting is the type and number of fueling stations the company surveys in order to calculate its averages. While EIA surveys 400 truck stops and convenience stores nationwide, ProMiles uses its direct feed from thousands of truck stops to develop its averages.

Unlike the federal EIA report, according to ProMiles two regions bucked the trend of decreasing average prices: the Central Atlantic and Rocky Mountain regions. There, the average prices increased less than half a cent.

Decreases in the other regions ranged from about a half cent up to 2.4 cents on the West Coast.

Following are the average prices by region as reported by the ProMiles.com:

• U.S. – $2.922, down 1.4 cents.
• East Coast – $3.004, down 1.2 cents.
• New England – $3.064, up four-fifths of a cent.
• Central Atlantic – $3.21, up two-fifths of a cent.
• Lower Atlantic – $2.892, down 1.5 cents.
• Midwest – $2.879, down 1.4 cents.
• Gulf Coast – $2.785, down seven-tenths of a cent.
• Rocky Mountain – $2.936, up one-fifth of a cent.
• West Coast – $3.402, down 2.4 cents.
• West Coast less California – $3.125, down two-fifths of a cent.
• California – $3.827, down 2.2 cents.

Click here to view ProMiles fuel data averaged by state.

AAA reported a national average price per gallon for diesel fuel at $2.965 for Monday, Aug. 12.

A week previous, the price was 2.1 cents higher at $2.986,

A month previous, AAA reported $3.004 per gallon of diesel fuel, and a year ago $3.153 per gallon.

The highest recorded average price for diesel was $4.845 per gallon on July 17, 2008, according to AAA.