Diesel average price for U.S. holds steady

The U.S. average price per gallon for diesel increased less than a half cent from one week ago, according to a weekly federal report dated Monday, Aug. 10, to an average of $2.428 per gallon.

Price data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration showed no clear trend. Most swings in the regional prices for a gallon of diesel were less than a cent, and regions were nearly evenly split between going up and going down. Only the Rocky Mountain region had change of more than a penny, there going up 2.6 cents

One year ago the average U.S. price was 58.3 cents per gallon higher, according to the EIA.

Average U.S. price for a gallon of diesel as reported by the EIA:

• U.S. – $2.428, up two-fifths of a cent.
• East Coast – $2.514, down three-tenths of a cent.
• New England – $2.633, up one-fifth of a cent.
• Central Atlantic – $2.692, down two-fifths of a cent.
• Lower Atlantic – $2.37, down one-fifth of a cent.
• Midwest – $2.305, up seven-tenths of a cent.
• Gulf Coast – $2.183, up four-fifths of a cent.
• Rocky Mountain – $2.369, up 2.6 cents.
• West Coast – $2.955, no change
• West Coast without California – $2.588, down two-fifths of a cent.
• California – $3.256, up three-tenths of a cent.

ProMiles.com reports the average retail price for diesel per gallon in the U.S. on Monday, Aug. 10, dropped almost a nickel from a week before.

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.

In last Monday’s report from ProMiles.com, by far the biggest regional change was the 18.3-cent increase for the Gulf Coast. This week, the pendulum swung the other direction for the Gulf Coast, with the diesel price average going down 23.6 cents.

The U.S. average price is 59 cents lower than one year ago, ProMiles reports.

Here are the average U.S. prices for a gallon of diesel reported for each region by ProMiles.com:

• U.S. – $2.326, down 4.8 cents.
• East Coast – $2.457, down three-fifths of a cent.
• New England – $2.618, down three-fifths of a cent.
• Central Atlantic – $2.625, down 1 cent.
• Lower Atlantic – $2.344, down a half cent.
• Midwest – $2.267, up 1.6 cents.
• Gulf Coast – $2.181, down 23.6 cents.
• Rocky Mountain – $2.313, down 5.6 cents.
• West Coast – $2.731, up a half cent.
• West Coast without California – $2.479, up two-fifths of a cent.
• California – $3.148, up three-fifths of a cent.Click here to view ProMiles fuel data averaged by state.

AAA reported the retail average U.S. price per gallon of diesel at $2.427 for Monday, Aug. 10.

A week previous the average retail U.S. price for a gallon of diesel was $2.43 per gallon.

A month previous, AAA reported $2.44 per gallon of diesel, and a year ago $2.969 per gallon.

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

Last week’s fuel report is here.