U.S. diesel fuel prices continue to slide

Now it is seven weeks straight that the average price for a gallon of diesel fuel across the U.S. has dropped, according to the weekly report issued for Monday, Aug. 26, by the Energy Information Administration.

The price slide began with the July 15 report, according to the EIA.

Lower average prices were reported for all regions except California, where there was no change from a week ago. The largest regional decrease in the average price was reported for the West Coast without California. There, the price dropped 1.9 cents.

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

• U.S. – $2.983, down 1.1 cents.
  
• East Coast – $3.003, down 1.6 cents.
  
• New England – $3.031, down 1.7 cents.
  
• Central Atlantic – $3.186, down 1.3 cents.
  
• Lower Atlantic – $2.874, down 1.8 cents.
  
• Midwest – $2.89, down 1 cent.
  
• Gulf Coast – $2.744, down seven-tenths of a cent.
  
• Rocky Mountain – $2.936, down three-tenths of a cent.
  
• West Coast – $3.556, down four-fifths of a cent.
  
• West Coast without California – $3.139, down 1.9 cents.
• California – $3.887, no change.

The national average U.S. retail price for diesel fuel dropped 1.4 cents to $2.886 per gallon on Monday, Aug. 26, 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.

Decreases of just under a penny to 1.8 cents were recorded for all regions except the West Coast without California, where the average price increased a fraction of a cent.

The largest decreases were in the New England and Central Atlantic regions, according to ProMiles.

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

• U.S. – $2.886, down 1.4 cents.
  
• East Coast – $2.969, down 1.4 cents.
  
• New England – $3.019, down 1.8 cents.
  
• Central Atlantic – $3.173, down 1.7 cents.
  
• Lower Atlantic – $2.855, down 1.2 cents.
  
• Midwest – $2.844, down 1.6 cents.
  
• Gulf Coast – $2.751, down 1.4 cents.
  
• Rocky Mountain – $2.917, down seven-tenths of a cent.
  
• West Coast – $3.40, down a half cent.
  
• West Coast less California – $3.135, up one-fifth of a cent.
  
• California – $3.788, down 1.1 cents.

Click here to view ProMiles fuel data averaged by state.

AAA reported a national average price per gallon for diesel fuel at $2.937 for Monday, Aug. 26.

A week previous, the price was $2.948.

A month previous, AAA reported $2.993 per gallon of diesel fuel, and a year ago $3.145 per gallon.

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