On-highway diesel prices slipped ever-so-slightly downward for the week ending Aug. 13, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The average price nationwide fell by $0.006 to $3.217, exactly where it stood July 23 and only $0.002 above the price on June 25. The national average diesel price has stayed within the same 5-cent range since June 11, following a steady spring climb.
Although the price drop for the past week was miniscule, it was shared in every region across the country. The Midwest was the only region to record a price drop of more than a penny, with a decrease of $0.012 to 3.139. California saw the smallest, change, with a drop of just $0.001 to $3.942, which is still the highest price for diesel in the country, by over 50 cents more than the rest of the West Coast and more than 55 cents more than the Central Atlantic region.
The West Coast minus California and the Central Atlantic regions experienced two of the larger price drops this week, at $0.007 and $0.006, respectively.
The Gulf Coast region, where the price of diesel dropped by $0.005 over the past week, continues to be the only region where diesel goes for less than $3 per gallon. It currently stands at $2.990.
Nationwide, the price of diesel is currently $0.619 higher than it was a year ago. California has experienced the largest year-to-year gain, at $0.9993, while the Lower Atlantic has seen the smallest year-to-year gain, $0.564 per gallon.
Oil futures declined Aug. 13, with the U.S. benchmark falling by 43 cents to close at $67.20 a barrel, while Brent crude slipped by 20 cents to finish at $72.61 a barrel on London’s ICE exchange.
Click here for a complete list of average prices by region for the past three weeks.
Klint Lowry has been a journalist for over 20 years. Prior to that, he did all kinds work, including several that involved driving, though he never graduated to big rigs. He worked at newspapers in the Detroit, Tampa and Little Rock, Ark., areas before coming to The Trucker in 2017. Having experienced such constant change at home and at work, he felt a certain kinship to professional truck drivers. Because trucking is more than a career, it’s a way of life, Klint has always liked to focus on every aspect of the quality of truckers’ lives.
