The average price for a gallon of diesel nationwide rose 2½ cents for the week ending April 15, to stand at $3.118 per gallon, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The average price for diesel is now the highest it’s been since the week before Christmas.
The price increase was felt in every region of the country, although not evenly, as prices in the western third of the nation jumped considerably more than in the rest of the country.
The West Coast was hit the hardest, seeing diesel prices rise 6 cents, to end the week at $3.651 per gallon. California, which usually is responsible for the heft of price increases on the West Coast, actually had less of an increase, $0.057 per gallon, than the remainder of the West Coast, where the price jumped a nation-leading $0.063. California continues to edge closer to the $4 per gallon plateau. With this week’s increase, the average price for a gallon of diesel in the Golden State is $3.967 per gallon.
The Rocky Mountain region wasn’t far behind the West Coast, seeing a price increase of $0.054 per gallon, to $3.082.
Heading east, the price jumps are decidedly smaller, the largest being the Gulf Coast, where diesel rose 2 cents, to finish at $2.899. The Gulf Coast continues to hold its claim to the lowest diesel prices in the nation. It is now the only region in the country where diesel remains below $3 per gallon.
The Midwest and Lower Atlantic regions crept back over $3 per gallon during the past week. In both regions, diesel prices rose 1.7 cents, to finish at $3.010 in the Midwest and $3.015 in the Lower Atlantic.
Elsewhere on the East Coast, diesel rose $0.018 in the Central Atlantic, to $3.342, while New England saw the smallest increase of the week, $0.012, to finish at $3.205. The average price of diesel across the entire East Coast is now $3.153.
Despite this week’s increase, the year-to-year price comparison actually improved across the board, as diesel prices spiked 6.1 cents a year ago at this time.
After seesawing for a couple of days, crude oil prices started Tuesday on an upswing. Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil, was up 8 cents by 9 a.m. Eastern Time, to $71.26 a barrel, while U.S. crude gained 25 cents, to stand at $63.65.
Click here for a complete list of average prices by region for the past three weeks.
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
