On-highway diesel prices rose for the week ending Oct. 1, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The average price nationwide climbed by $0.042 to $3.313, the highest it’s been since December 2014. This week’s gain was the largest single-week gain since early May.
Prices rose in every region across the country, although unevenly. In California, the price for a gallon of diesel rose $0.052, putting it over the $4 per gallon mark, at $4.038. The West Coast overall saw an increase of $0.043, to $3.802.
California, however, did not experience the largest jump in prices for the week. That occurred in the Midwest, where diesel rose an even 6 cents, to $3.278, still one of the regions where diesel prices are lowest. The lowest diesel in the nation remains in the Gulf Region, where it finished the week at $3.079, up by $0.027 from a week ago.
The smallest increase was in the Rocky Mountain region, where prices rose $0.012 to finish at $3.367.
Nationwide, the price of diesel is currently $0.521 higher than it was a year ago. California has experienced the largest year-to-year gain, at $0.856, while the Lower Atlantic has seen the smallest year-to-year gain, $0.432 per gallon.
Oil futures rose Oct. 1, with the U.S. benchmark up by $1.66 to close at $74.91 a barrel, while Brent crude climbed by $1.57, or 1.9 percent, to $84.30.
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.
