U.S. average diesel fuel price drops to within a breath of $3 per gallon

It is 12 weeks running for the slide in the U.S. average price for a gallon of diesel fuel reported by the federal Energy Information Administration.

On Monday, Jan. 7, the EIA reported the average price for a gallon of diesel across the U.S. dropped 3.5 cents to $3.013. Not only is it barely a penny above the $3-per-gallon mark, it also is only 1.7 cents above what the EIA reported one year ago.

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

• U.S. – $3.013, down 3.5 cents.
• East Coast – $3.069, down 4.1 cents.
• New England – $3.216, down 1.8 cents.
• Central Atlantic – $3.242, down 4.4 cents.
• Lower Atlantic – $2.921, down 4.4 cents.
• Midwest – $2.869, down 3.8 cents.
• Gulf Coast – $2.821, down 2 cents.
• Rocky Mountain – $3.026, 4.5 cents.
• West Coast – $3.528, down 3.4 cents.
• West Coast without California – $3.18, down 6.6 cents.
• California – $3.805, down four-fifths of a cent.

ProMiles reports national average retail price for diesel on Monday, Jan. 7, dropping nearly 4 cents from the week previous.

That pulled the U.S. average below $3 per gallon and actually dropped it below the average U.S. price for diesel fuel from a year ago, according to ProMiles’ data. Monday’s U.S. average price is 2.6 cents lower than one year ago.

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.

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

• U.S. – $2.928, down 3.9 cents.
• East Coast – $3.045, down 2.9 cents.
• New England – $3.206, down 7 cents.
• Central Atlantic – $3.259, down 2.5 cents.
• Lower Atlantic – $2.912, down 3.4 cents.
• Midwest – $2.845, down 4.7 cents.
• Gulf Coast – $2.813, down 3 cents.
• Rocky Mountain – $3.048, down 3.9 cents.
• West Coast – $3.352, down 5.2 cents.
• West Coast less California – $3.151, down 5.1 cents.
• California – $3.674, down 4.9 cents.

AAA reports a national average price per gallon for diesel fuel at $2.959 for Monday, Jan. 7.

A week previous, the price was $2.994.

A month previous, AAA reported $123 per gallon of diesel fuel and a year ago $2.904 per gallon.

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