Diesel prices dip slightly across the U.S., except in New England

The average price of a gallon of on-highway diesel went down nine-tenths of cent to $2.90 per gallon for the week ending Monday, Dec. 18.

Diesel prices went down in eight of 10 regions in the United States, according to the Energy Information Administration. The largest average decrease was in the Rocky Mountain region, where prices at the pump went down 3.3 cents per gallon. Prices went up one-tenth of a cent in the New England region, the only increase in the nation.

Following are the average prices by region as reported by the EIA:

• U.S. – $2.901, down nine-tenths of a cent
• East Coast – $2.897, down four-tenths of a cent
• New England – $2.924, up 2.4 cents
• Central Atlantic – $3.06, unchanged
• Lower Atlantic – $2.788, down 1 cent
• Midwest – $2.853, down 1 cent
• Gulf Coast – $2.697, down eight-tenths of a cent
• Rocky Mountain – $2.958, down 3.3 cents
• West Coast – $3.327, down 1.7 cents
• West Coast less California – $3.044, down 2.8 cents
• California – $3.552, down eight-tenths of a cent

According to ProMiles, the average retail price at truck stops was $2.862 on Monday morning, a 1.4-cent decrease from last week.

ProMiles, the software company that maintains the websites ProMiles.com and TruckMiles.com, continues to offer 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.

TruckMiles.com listed the daily average price for Monday at $2.917, with truckers in California paying an average of $3.576 per gallon, the highest in the nation. Truckers in Oklahoma are paying a national low of $2.619 per gallon, according to the site. No states in the lower 48 states have been listed in excess of $4 per gallon at the pump since Dec. 4, 2014. Fourteen states are reporting average prices above $3, one more than last week. No states have reported average diesel prices below $2 since April 27, 2016.

AAA has indexed diesel prices at $2.831 for Monday, 38.5 cents more expensive than this time last year.