The average price for a gallon of diesel nationwide rose exactly one penny for the week ending March 25, to stand at $3.08 per gallon, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). With the weekly increase, diesel costs 7 cents more than it did a year ago and 11½ cents above a recent low-water mark in late January, where the price hovered at $2.965 for two weeks and then at $2.966 for two more before beginning the current slow climb.
Diesel prices rose in every EIA region in the country with the exception of the Central Atlantic region of the East Coast, which saw a tiny $0.003 drop in diesel, to finish at $3.310, which is still the highest price to be found anywhere outside California and is 9.3 cents above what it was in the Central Atlantic a year ago.
North and south of the Central Atlantic, the New England and Lower Atlantic regions both recorded price increases of $0.014, giving the aggregate East Coast an increase of $0.008, to stand at $3.132. In New England, the price of diesel stands at $3.214, while in the Lower Atlantic, it is $2.995, one of four regions where diesel is still under $3 per gallon.
With a minimal $0.001 increase, the Midwest stayed just below the $3 threshold, at $2.993, while the Gulf Coast, as usual, enjoys the lowest diesel prices in the nation, at $2.876, up $0.007 from a week earlier.
Diesel also remains under $3 in the Rocky Mountain region, at $2.974, after a 3-cent gain, the second-largest increase, after California’s $0.038 price hike. The Rocky Mountain region is currently the only region in the country where diesel costs less than it did a year ago.
The overall price of diesel rose on the West Coast to $3.526, an increase of $0.029. California has both the highest diesel prices, $3.819, and the highest year-to-year increase, an even 15 cents.
Crude oil prices were split on Monday, Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil, rose by 18 cents, to $67.21 a barrel, while U.S. crude ended Monday’s session down 22 cents, at $58.22.
Early Tuesday, Brent was up 92 cents, and U.S. crude had added $1.28.
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.
