Fuel prices remain steady following small increase

The U.S. average retail price for a gallon of diesel inched up from a week ago, according to the weekly report issued for Monday, Oct. 14, by the Energy Information Administration. On highway fuel prices average $3.051 nationally, up .004 cents per gallon from the week before.

Increases were reported for every region except New England, where the average sank a half cent, and the Midwest, where the average price did not change.

The largest regional average increase was in the West Coast region without California, where the price went up 2.5 cents.

The U.S. average diesel price is 34.3 cents lower than reported one year ago, according to the EIA.

In the report from Monday, Oct. 7, the EIA reported that the U.S. average diesel price for a gallon of diesel dropped nearly 2 more cent from a week before

Following are the U.S. average retail prices for diesel fuel by region as reported by the EIA for Monday, Oct. 14:

• U.S. – $3.051, up two-fifths of a cent.
• East Coast – $3.044, up three-tenths of a cent.
• New England – $3.042, down a half cent.
• Central Atlantic – $3.227, up three-tenths of a cent.
• Lower Atlantic – $2.92, up a half cent.
• Midwest – $2.967, no change.
• Gulf Coast – $2.805, up one-tenth of a cent.
• Rocky Mountain – $3.041, up 1.9 cents.
• West Coast – $3.653, up 1.1 cents.
• West Coast without California – $3.24, up 2.5 cents.
• California – $3.982, up one-tenth of a cent.

Instead of going up as with the EIA data, ProMiles reports the U.S. average retail prices for diesel fuel on Monday, Oct. 14, dropped 1.5 cents from the report of 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.

The Rocky Mountain region bucked the trend of lower prices, with a small surge above last week’s average price. Averages for all other regions were lower than the week previous.

Following are the U.S. average retail prices for diesel fuel by region as reported by the ProMiles.com:

• U.S. – $2.957, down 1.5 cents.
• East Coast – $3.025, down 1.4 cents.
• New England – $3.04, down 1 cent.
• Central Atlantic – $3.227, down 1.3 cents.
• Lower Atlantic – $2.917, down 1.4 cents.
• Midwest – $2.92, down 1.6 cents.
• Gulf Coast – $2.817, down 2.2 cents.
• Rocky Mountain – $3.002, up three-fifths of a cent.
• West Coast – $3.456, down 2.7 cents.
• West Coast less California – $3.189, down 1.9 cents.
• California – $3.863, down 2.6 cents

Click here to view ProMiles fuel data averaged by state.

AAA reported a U.S. average prices for diesel fuel per gallon at $2.998 for Tuesday, Oct. 15.

A week previous the average price was $3.002.

A month previous, AAA reported $2.927 per gallon of diesel fuel, and a year ago $3.299 per gallon.

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

Last week, we ran this headline: Average diesel fuel prices on the decline again.